Legacy of the Portal Masters: The War for Earth
by DeadPortal
Summary: (Book one of three) Eon and the Skylanders have been blasted to Earth, with the Darkness close on their heels. The burden of defending Skylands now weighs on the shoulders of eight Portal Masters from Earth, and two from Skylands. With a new enemy, a growing Darkness, and no one left to defend it, Skylands may very well fall... Forever.
1. The Awakening

Legacy of the Portal Masters

Ch. 0: The Awakening

We humans have not always been alone in our existence. Long, long ago, before even the dinosaurs were around, there was a time of peace and prosperity on Earth, a time of… magic. In those days, in that true golden era, dragons, unicorns, elves, and all manner of mythic fables roamed the lands of Earth and beyond, and we humans were equally abundant in both worlds.

Yes, dear reader, you heard me correct. Whereas we humans were native to Earth, all the other creatures I told you of were born in a magical world called Skylands. Skylands was, or, more rather, is a collection of islands floating in the sky. Travel between our world and Skylands is only possible by using a Portal, which can only be activated by someone with enough magic in their body, the Portal Masters. The Portal Masters were some of the most powerful people ever, and believed in peace, prosperity, and the Light. They were not only travelers and peacekeepers, they were great explorers, and had great skill in exploring.

But, that was also their greatest weakness… for once, while exploring the boundaries of Skylands, a Portal Master found the Darklands. The Darklands are an area surrounding Skylands filled with the Darkness, the opposite of the Light, and the cause for all evil. That Portal Master who discovered the Darkness was also corrupted by it, and spread the Darkness into the world. The Darkness traveled, growing in size and power, and the Portal Masters knew it was up to them to assemble the ultimate team of heroes to defend their world. So they formed the Skylanders, a team of heroes that swore to protect Skylands from the Darkness until their very last breath. The Portal Masters also built the Core of Light, a great machine that helped keep the Darkness at bay. The Core, combined with the might of the Skylanders, beat back the Darkness and held it in the Darklands. The Portal Masters also created the Elemental Crystals, eight gems that had been enchanted with the full power of one of the eight Elements: Air, Earth, Fire, Life, Magic, Tech, Undead, and Water. The Crystals were so powerful that they were stowed away in a secret location, only to be brought out if the Darkness once again amassed and invaded Skylands, and the Skylanders were not enough to stop it.

But they also knew that to truly detain the Darkness, they must give it no place to escape to. The Portal Masters tried to put all the magical doorways that connected Earth and Skylands into a sleep of sorts, and they succeeded, but not before great amounts of the Darkness escaped into our world. We were shut off from all magic once the doorways slept, and eventually we humans had all but died off until our new era in the present day, forgetting Skylands, and calling magic a fable.

The Darkness in our world, once shut off from the magic of Skylands, was weakened and could do no more than persuade us to do evil with anger and greed, which it had created. The Darkness in Skylands was still a threat, but there, with the Skylanders and the Core of Light, a time of peace settled over all of Skylands, and they too forgot all about us, and went about their lives for millions of years, not worrying about the Darkness.

Until now...

(Skylands, Eons Citadel: Present Day)

Eon's Citadel is a beautiful Skyland, as long as fifteen football fields, and as wide as thirty. It had rolling green hills, lush trees, a beach, and Eon's Keep, a gleaming spire of pure white marble soaring into the sky. But, most astounding of all, was the Core of Light. An emerald green dome, laced with gold around the edges, spewing a brilliant rainbow column of Light into the sky.

Eon looked to the sky, and his old, white-bearded face frowned. Eon was a spirit, wearing a blue mage's robe with a sash that showed the symbol for all eight Elements. He held an oaken staff in his left hand, with a blue orb atop the end. As he watched, a black speck appeared in the distance. The Portal Master started to worry when he realized the speck was growing bigger, and coming closer. When it was about ten miles away, Eon could discern that it was a giant, floating castle, with black granite walls and soaring towers. A small platform floated outward, piloted by a figure in a dark cloak.

"Eon!" the figure called in a deep, booming voice, "I know your reputation. I know you and your Skylanders have beaten back every single one of Kaos' attacks. But," he added, feeling pleased, "I also know of the Doorway set under your precious Keep. And I intend to blast you and all your miserable Skylanders into the far corners of the universe, wrenching open the Doorways, and letting the Darkness expand, and rule the universe! I, Draxx, will bring victory to the Darkness!" He screamed

"Skylanders! To battle!" Eon shouted, giving the time honored battle cry used by Skylanders and Portal masters for generations. Portals appeared around the Citadel, and hundreds of Skylanders, ranging from Minis to Giants, Swap Force to Trap Masters, and all others, came swarming from the Portals, clashing into the hordes of robotic, skeletal Arkeyan minions summoned by Draxx. Lights flared as the battle raged, and cries of the dead and dying echoed through the battlefield. Draxx hurled dark lightnings into the battle below, and Eon deflected as many as he could using the force of Light. Draxx retreated into his castle suddenly, and Eon rushed into his keep. He leapt at a small box, and tore it open. Inside were eight glowing gems. The Elemental Crystals. He ripped them out of their slots and ran to the balcony.

"Skylanders, to the Portal!" he cried, rushing into the under levels. When he arrived, he saw all the Skylanders gathered around his fifty-foot diameter Portal. He also saw, set into the far wall, the Doorway. He ran over to the Door and opened it slightly, peering into its black depths. He knew anyone that set foot into that blackness would be lost forever, so he dared not to tread too close. He heard a large machine starting up, along with the Arkeyans marching out of the blast radius, and knew he had only moments to spare.

"Skylanders under Spyro, to the Portal!" he called. Thirty two Skylanders hopped onto the Portal, grouped by element. He gave the leader of each element their corresponding Crystal. "Find the next Portal Masters. Choose wisely, and bring them here. The Doorways will be open, so all you have to do is help them direct their Portal magic. You will arrive first, so you will guide them until the others arrive." he said, "I may not live through this, but I hope I do." he concluded. He dug into the Portal Magic inside him, and, with a flash of light, the Skylanders on the Portal vanished. He then evacuated all those under Tree Rex's command, then Wash Bucklers, then Snap Shot's.

Eon heard the whirring of the charging weapon transfer into a steady, high pitch note, and knew that the great weapon was ready to fire and release the Darkness. Eon himself jumped onto the Portal, and, using the last ounces of magic within him, he shot himself through the Doorway a split second before everything he ever loved came toppling down behind him.

As his spirit spun in space, hurdling into the unknown, Eon saw eight figures soaring after his Skylanders. He knew at once they were the Dark Mages, some of the most notorious and dangerous beings in the Darkness' control. 'I have failed,' he thought to himself 'the Darkness has finally beaten me... Skylands is lost...' That was his last thought before his spirit came hurtling towards a giant rock covered in greens, blues, and wispy white clouds.


	2. John, Portal Master of Fire

Ch. 1: John, Portal Master of Fire

John Hudson isn't the first person most would pick to call a hero. He was a large, somewhat brutish man, known for his easily sparked temper and love of anything violent. He was only seventeen, but had already been detained by police twice. Though, as violent as he may seem, he has a strict idea of right and wrong. The reasons he had been detained were because two unfortunate men, on separate occasions, had been quietly insulting John's female friend when John overheard them, and proceeded to physically assault them, to the point that the men were kept in a hospital for nearly a month. After the second occasion, the word started to spread, and no one dared to anger the bloodthirsty man. Not many would call him a hero, but all that would change soon…

(Earth: Dallas, TX, Present Day)

As John was driving home one day in his red and orange, 2010 Camaro, heading towards his home, his radio started to mess up, broadcasting static and strange, warbling noises, and he saw five red-hot, strangely glowing objects soar over his car, heading north east, in the direction of his home. Curious, he sped up, going from forty five, which was already above the thirty miles per hour limit, to sixty miles per hour. As he pulled into the driveway of his two story house, he saw the five red, glowing objects in front of his garage door, four in a semicircle around the fifth. As he stepped out of his car and stooped over the figures, the strange glow dissipated, and he found himself looking at four tiny, frozen creatures surrounding a red crystal. Not daring yet to touch the creatures, he picked up the crystal… And gasped, for at the moment he touched the crystal, his mind was flooded with information about Skylands. Within an instant, he knew about the Portal Masters, the Darkness, and the Skylanders. As he looked at the semicircle of creatures, he recognized the blue haired, green skinned Elf archer with a golden bow and quiver of arrows, and wearing a red blindfold, Flameslinger, the blue-and-silver armored flame spirit who was holding his flaming sword in a two handed grip, Ignitor, the red, and cracked with yellow, fingerless fire golem Eruptor, and, finally, the winged phoenix-dragon hybrid who was Sunburn.

"Portal Master, hurry, you must free us!" spoke a voice inside John's head-Sunburn. "Once we are freed, we can protect you until we get back to Skylands."

"I'm not exactly sure I really want you guys full-scale and running around," said John "what's the rush, anyway? I'd rather wait until we get to Skylands."

"'ZERE'S NO TIME!" roared Flameslinger in his Italian-esque accent "USE 'ZE GEM, 'ZE DARK FLAME MAGE IS ALMOST 'ERE!" he continued.

"Almost?" a voice leered from behind John, laced with sinister undercurrents "Why, you Skylanders always do underestimate the real power of the Darkness, don't you?" John spun around, gripping the Crystal in his hand, which seemed to be burning his palm. "Ah, you seem to have found yourself a new Portal Master, hmm?" said the Mage, a tall, tan woman with dark hair John guessed to be 28. She wore a dark black and purple robe, highlighted with orange around the cuffs, collar, and hem, which seemed to flicker as if it were flame. "It looks to me as if that fool Eon made _another_ mistake," said the Mage, "by sending a child after me! Why, I doubt you even know what it is you hold!" she said.

"Now is the time, Portal Master," said another, wise sounding voice in John's head, who he figured to be Eon, "use the Crystal, let its energy spread outward. Free the Skylanders, and summon your weapon and armor." Eon said. The Crystal burned in his hand, feeling almost alive. John shifted his attention to the Crystal, then let his senses fall into those of the Crystal and saw the world as the Crystal did, Glimmering red veined with orange, and felt its power, fiery red, in a sort of well in the middle of the Crystal. He saw a doorway of sorts at the top of the well, and opened it, letting the Crystals' energy spread outward, and directed it towards the Skylanders, who he now stood behind. As the energy touched the Skylanders, he felt a sort of shield around their frozen, miniature forms, containing them. Knowing the shields had to fall, he started tearing at them with the force of his Crystal, and, within moments, the shields fell, and the Skylanders now stood at their full height. Feeling he had done his part, he brought the energy back inside the Crystal, and let his senses rise out of it. He looked at his four Skylanders, then at the Mage, smirking.

"Another mistake, huh," he said, "because it looks to me like I just freed the Skylanders."

"You have your soldiers," the Mage hissed, "and I have mine." With that, she swept her hand horizontally in front of her, and forty Trolls wielding Evilized Fire appeared before her.

"Skylanders! To battle!" he cried.

And so it began.

As one, the Skylanders charged. Flameslinger swung around to the left of the Trolls, firing swarms of arrows at the enemy. Ignitor went straight through to the middle of the Trolls, leaving scorched corpses in his path. Eruptor went around the right side of the Trolls, throwing magma balls and vomiting up lava on the Trolls. Sunburn soared overhead, scorching the trolls where the flame of his breath struck, setting several of them aflame. The battle between the Skylanders and the Trolls lasted less than a minute.

The Mage sneered. She simply threw her hands towards the Skylanders and constricted them in writhing tentacles of pure Darkness. Dread settled in John's stomach as he watched helplessly as his allies were incapacitated and brought to their knees. The Mage leapt at him, snarling red whips of flame sprung from her sleeves and formed broadswords made of blood-red metal, and John's adversary swung at him with a deadly downward cut. a voice in his mind whispered '_Coir...'_ John shouted the word while he brought his hands in front of him in a futile attempt to protect himself from death. Through his dread, he thought he suddenly gripped some handle, and had weight added to his body...

_ CLANG!_

John looked up to see the surprised face of the Mage, and then the rage that crossed her features. He realized he held a fiery red sword in his hands, he was wearing metal armor, and his sword had caught the Mage's, and they were locked together in a brutal contest of strength. John heaved against the Mage, but though her form was lithe, her strength was immense. John then realized they were at a stalemate... That was, until the spirit of Eon materialized between them with a flash of Light. The Mage howled in pain and fell back, allowing John to step forward stab and stab her in the chest, twisting his blade as he did. She disappeared in a ball of flame.

"Is she... Dead?" asked John, panting heavily

"Evil never dies, young Portal Master," stated Eon "and I must be off. I have to find the rest of the Portal Masters, and assist them as I have you. Make your Portal. Go to Skylands. Hurry!" he commanded, and vanished in a flash of Light.

John wondered how he could make a Portal. He let the energy from his Crystal flow outward and, in his Crystal sight, he saw the rock in his back yard, except it looked strange. The stone was round like a wheel, and lay on its side, with a flat top and a round edge, but in the Crystal sight, it _glowed_ with a fiery red aura. He stalked around his house until it lay before him. Two meters in diameter, and dull brown, like clay. Acting on instinct, John gripped the Crystal tight in his left fist, and flung his right hand, palm outward and a torrent of flame sprung forth, leaping at the mound, consuming it. It may have been minutes, or it may have been hours that John stood there. When his flame suddenly ceased, he looked upon his first Portal. It stood dark red, with faceted sides and a glowing, swirling top of magic.

"Come on," he said to his Skylanders, "we have some ass to kick." And with that, he and the Skylanders jumped on to the Portal and transported themselves to Skylands.

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**Chapter 1 is done. What do you think of Legacy so far? Reviews are appreciated. ALSO! I need some character ideas for the Earth Portal Master. Must be male. You'll understand later... Tune in next Friday for the thrilling tale of Lauren, Portal Master of... **

**Haha**

**DeadPortal, over and out.**


	3. Lauren, Portal Master of Water

Ch 2: Lauren, Portal Master of Water

Lauren was a calm, cool headed, mellow girl. She loved being on the water, whether sailing, kayaking, or surfing. She was a very adept surfer, being very tall and thin. She had lived in Florida since she was 15, two years ago. Her time was mostly consumed by surfing, though she spent most of her time in the sun, she was very pale.

She was surfing when it happened. Her blond hair plastered to her face, she squinted at the distant beach. It was nearing noon as she headed towards land. But while she squinted at the beach, movement in the sky caught her eye. Five blue-glowing objects were streaking towards her, flying through the air. She ducked as the objects sped over her head and landed in the the water with a splash and sizzling. She turned to see the meteorites floating, four strange creatures and a sea blue crystal. She jumped off of her board and swam over to the crystal. As soon as her hand touched it, her mind filled with information about Skylands. She gasped and looked around at the heroes before her. The Gillman wielding a harpoon-Gill Grunt, the Water Dragon-Zap, the four armed Yeti-Slam Bam, and the two legged crab with a golden mace-Wham-Shell.

Gill Grunt spoke in Lauren's mind.

"Portal Master, there's an evil Water Mage on his way here, and I think it might be helpful for you to release us." he said.

"Right, right," she said, "but how?"

Eon appeared before her, floating over the water.

"Use your Crystal," he said, "and hurry! You are in grave danger!" Lauren's mind sank into the Crystal, and she gasped at the view of the world, tinted with a dark sapphire. She spread the Crystal's energy towards the Skylanders, and destroyed the shields trapping them. They then grew to full size.

Lauren heard a huge _SPLASH_ from behind her, and even before she could turn, a large wave broke over her head and she was forced under the water. Her mouth opened in surprise, and water rushed in. She didn't drown though. When she tried to inhale, she found that the water rushed to her lungs, then left, leaving oxygen. Eon spoke in her mind once more.

"Do not release your Crystal! You shall drown if you do!" he warned. She wondered at how she could keep her Crystal and fight at the same time. An idea crept into her mind. She placed her Crystal just below her throat, and froze the water around it, so it formed a crude, yet solid necklace. She then rose to the surface.

The battle had already begun. The Mage had summoned a fleet of ships filled with Cyclops Gazermages, which were firing on the Skylanders. Gill Grunt was using his jetpack and harpoons to spear the Cyclops, Slam Bam had formed an icy sleigh, and was ramming the ships, with Wham-Shell close behind him, and Zap was, well... zapping the Cyclops. The Mage watched as Slam Bam wrecked another of his ships, then he joined the fight.

The Mage threw a fist made of water at Slam Bam, who went flying. He sent a wave to intercept one of Zap's lightning bolts, and then threw the lightning-charged waves at him, causing Zap to faint from the electricity. Gill Grunt and Wham-Shell charged him, but were taken down with watery spears. Lauren looked around at her wounded warriors. Slam Bam floated, but was crumpled into a ball. Gill and Wham-Shell were bleeding from the wounds in their chests.

Lauren snapped.

With a scream of rage, she launched herself at the Mage, using fierce currents to speed her up. She sprung out of the water and landed on the ship the Mage stood on. The Cyclops onboard took aim on her, but icy spears impaled their eyes. She glared at the Mage. He laughed, staring at her. She realized she stood in only her bikini, which increased her rage. _Hurico... _A voice whispered. She screamed it as she charged the Mage. Her body encased itself in icy blue armor, and a frozen trident appeared in her hand. The Mage laughed, and threw Lauren with ball of water. She went flying, but directed the waves so she landed on her surf board. She surfed around the Mage's ship, dodging balls of water and throwing hammers of ice at the hull. The Mage jumped as the hull crumbled, and Lauren sped after him, threw her board at him through the air, and the tip caught the Mage it the throat. He dissolved. As she looked around, she noticed that, in her rage, She had created a huge Portal made of ice. She stepped onto it, brought her Skylanders onto with waves, then teleported herself to Skylands.

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**BOOM! Early update! Trying to get two updates. Tune in next time for the story of Ryan, Portal Master of**

**DeadPortal, out.**


	4. Ryan, Portal Master of Undead

Ch.3: Ryan, Portal Master of Undead

Ryan was sitting in a graveyard, one of his favorite places, meditating. He was in his normal attire, a black hoodie with a skull printed on it. He was also wearing black jeans, and black and brown hiking boots. He was thinking about his past year at school. Ryan was an outcast and a loner at his high school, yet he liked it that way. He didn't believe he needed friends, and even if he had friends, he wouldn't pay attention to them, as he was always deep in his thoughts, of which he shared with no one.

Ryan was slightly muscled, slightly pale, and very wimpy looking, which was the way he liked it, as it always was called for him to be underestimated. At his last school, a bully had started to pick on him. On the very first day the bully picked on him, he went home with two black eyes, and a broken nose, and Ryan had yet to be scratched.

(Earth: Tennessee, Present Day)

He was sitting in the graveyard, with his eyes closed, when five objects fell from the sky, hurtling towards him. Four landed in a semicircle in front of him and, with his still closed, he heard one whistling through the air, and he caught it in his palm. His mind filled with thoughts of Skylands. His eyes opened, and he saw that there were four tiny creatures around him. There was a black Dragoness, who he knew was named Cynder, a white skinned Elf wearing a long black dress named Hex, an armored skeleton with a sword and shield named Chop Chop, and next to him was a skeletal ghost with a mace chained on to his body named Ghost Roaster.

"Master. A force of evil and Darkness approaches. I advise you to flee." Said Chop Chop. Ryan merely gave a wry grin.

"No," he said, "I stay, and I fight. I am not afraid."

"No," said Chop Chop, "_we _fight. Correct?" he asked, and the rest of the Skylanders murmured in agreement. Ryan took the cords of his hoodie and tied them around his Crystal, then dropped it so it touched his throat. His mind dropped into the Crystal, and he saw the world hued in black. A wave of black energy spread outward from him, and he felt the shield trapping the Skylanders. He let the might of the Undead beat at the shields, and the Skylanders were freed. Ryan stood and looked around. Through his eyes, he saw a graveyard littered with tombstones. Through the Crystal, he saw ghosts of American soldiers from World War Two. A battle plan formed in his mind.

"Skylanders, hide, and wait for my signal." Said Ryan, then he sat again and closed his eyes. But he kept his Crystal open, and with its sight, he saw a tall, hooded figure float down to the ground. The figure flicked back their cowl, revealing a tall, pale woman, with pure white hair. She stalked towards Ryan with silent footfall. A bone-handled knife was unsheathed silently, and the Mage drew back to throw the blade. Ryan's finger twitched. Chop Chops sword sang as he leapt off a tombstone and at the Mage. She tried to parry, but his blade sank deep into her shoulder. She howled in pain and crumpled. Chop Chop swung to decapitate, but the Mage rolled under his sword and launched upward in a ferocious lunge, stabbing the Arkeyan in the chest and throwing him back with the follow through. Ryan rolled backwards and launched himself to his feet. Cynder threw herself at the Mage, claws extended and lightning streaking from her maw. The Mage threw her right arm upwards, and a huge bone slammed Cynder in the chest. Hex threw orbs of magic at the Mage while Ghost Roaster charged. The Mage rolled out of Ghost Roasters way, but one of Hex's orbs caught her in the side, and she screamed in rage. The Mage threw her hand out, and fifteen ghosts of Drow spearmen materialized and charged Hex in a phalanx formation. Her orbs tore through three of them, but when the rest reached her, she couldn't flee fast enough and the Drow stabbed her in the back. She screamed in agony and fell, her back spewing dark blood.

Ghost Roaster charged the unprotected rear, but the Drow heard him and spun, and he skewered himself on their spears. He collapsed in a scream of rage, and lay writhing on the ground as blood welled from his wounds. The entire battle took less than ten seconds. Ryan watched as, one by one, his comrades fell.

The Mage laughed.

Ryan growled.

All Hades broke loose. Ryan made the soldier ghosts materialize, and they opened fire on the Mage. She simply waved her hand, and the ghosts vaporized. Ryan made the corpses in the graveyard rise, but the Mage made them fall again. Ryan threw his hand towards the Mage, and black lightning flew at her. The Mage extended her own hand, and bolts of lightning intercepted Ryan's bolts headlong, matching him bolt for bolt. Ryan was surprised at the Mage's control and aim. He decided that magic was out of the question, so he went with might.

A voice whispered in his mind. _Bane… _It whispered, and so did Ryan. Leather armor covered him, he felt weight added to his wrists, and a bone scythe formed in his hand. So he charged the Mage and the knife appeared in her hand. He swung the scythe, but she rolled under it and tried a counter-stab at the rear of his waist, but he back flipped over it and swung at her throat. She ducked under the blade and leapt at him, but he rolled under her. The Mage threw her knife, and Ryan barely managed to catch it in the handle of his scythe, which then vaporized. As the Mage's knife fell, Ryan managed to kick the knife handle and sent it flipping through the air at the Mage. She caught the blade between her thumb and forefinger, and laughed.

Ryan remembered the weight on his wrist, and looked down. Black wrist guards had materialized on him. He moved his hand so his palm faced the ground, and a sharp bone slid from the gauntlet. He had sharp bones hidden in his gauntlets. Hidden bones. That would be useful. He stalked towards the Mage with the blades extended. She sneered. But she was worried. Ryan knew that. She started to fear the hooded man before her. Ryan decided that he was a true creature of the dark. He vowed that though few trusted the Undead element, he would make sure the Darkness feared it. He would start by killing this retched waste of Undead magic. He lunged at the Mage. She deflected one of his blades, but the other caught her already wounded left shoulder. She screamed and fell, knocked down by the force of his charge. Her knife went flying as she held her arm up futilely to defend herself. It didn't help. Ryan impaled her throat, and blood welled up from the wound as he drew back his blade. The Mage made a gurgling, choking sound, twitched once, then lay still. Her body decomposed rapidly.

Ryan stood and let the energy from his Crystal spread out to make sure the Mage was truly gone. She was. But Ryan's Crystal sight also alerted him to glowing bones in the ground. Ryan brought them to the surface and they fit together like a 3D jigsaw. When he was done, he looked on to the Portal in front of him, white as bone. But it wasn't activated. Ryan shot a stream of lightning at the husk. It glowed and a layer of magic spread from its rim. Ryan picked up and carried the Skylanders to it, placing them on the magic gently. He then stepped on it himself, then teleported himself to Skylands.

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**Whaaaaaaat? Two updates in one week? And both early? Amazing.**

**Yes, Ryan is based off of me.**

**Yes, I think of the Undead as an Assassin-like element.**

**Yes, hidden bones.**

**Yes, next chapter is Aaron, Portal Master of Magic.**

**Yes, I gave it away for once.**

**DeadPortal, OUT!**


	5. Aaron, Portal Master of Magic

Ch. 4: Aaron, Portal Master of Magic

Aaron was... odd. More so than most. He was an orphan. His hair was purple, yet it turned blond at his bangs. He loved artwork and fantasy, so it was only natural for him to play Magic: The Gathering, though he kept this secret, as he was very embarrassed of the fact. He was of average build, but slightly under-average strength. He also had a small metal ring, a curled dragon, that was said to have been left to him by his father, which Aaron never seemed to outgrow. The ring seemed to fit no one but him, though many had tried to wear it. And any time Aaron lost it, or it was stolen, he always found it again. It was the only possession left with him in his cradle when he was left at the orphanage door, but he prized it more than anything. He knew nothing about his parents. No one did. Once, he had a sample of his blood run through a police DNA matcher, trying to find his parents. It didn't work. He seemed to have been born without parents.

(Earth: New York City, Present Day)

Aaron was walking back to his orphanage, taking a shortcut through Central Park. He was strolling along, deep in thought about the Magic tournament tomorrow night. Suddenly, he stopped. He didn't know why, but he felt like something was approaching him, something... Familiar. He looked to the sky, and saw a purple star shooting across the sky. He realized that it was no star, but a collection of five small, glowing meteorites. And it was coming for him. He ducked, and the meteorites soared over his head and landed in the grass behind him. He turned, and saw four tiny statuettes looking like creatures, and a purple gem. Curious, he grabbed the gem. As his mind flooded with information of Skylands He looked on to Spyro the dragon, Double Trouble the tiki mage, Voodood the axe-wielding orc, and Wrecking Ball the blue grub worm.

"Well well, somebody's out past their bedtime, aren't they?" A voice rang out from behind him. Aaron spun, and found himself confronted by four men in black, their faces covered in bandannas. He saw a flash of silver, and realized the men had pistols, trained on his head "Just give us your money, and you can go on home." the leader said.

"Portal Master, release the Skylanders before it's too late." said a voice in his head, Eon. Aaron collapsed like a frightened child, sobbing and focusing the men's attention on him.

"Please, don't shoot! I'm an orphan, I have no money!" he cried.

The men stepped forward.

Their fingers tightened on their triggers.

Spyro leapt at them.

A great fireball struck the men from behind, and they disintegrated.

An evil laugh rang out as Spyro scrambled to retreat.

"Fools! They think they can steal MY prize!? HA!" An evil voice rang out. "Now, child," Said a figure, stepping out of the shadows. A tall, dark haired woman in a black cloak with a purple cuff on her sleeves, "hand over the Crystal. I have much more use for it than you do. I have a master to please, and a world to help conquer." She stated.

"Never." Said Aaron defiantly. "I don't care who you are, but conquering worlds is considered evil!"

"I am the Mage of the Magic element, pesky human. Now hand it over!"

Aaron's mind dropped into the Crystal, and he saw the world hued in purple. His enemy glowed, and he saw a light flash of purple streaking towards him. He rolled left and stood again. Not knowing what to do, he flung his hand at the Mage as if he were pushing her, and surprisingly, she flew backwards as if hit by a semi truck. She landed on a tree, hitting her head with a loud _SMACK! _She landed and crumpled for a second, but stood again. With a snarl, she flicked her wrist and a small rod dropped into her hand. The Mage pointed it at Aaron, and he realized it was a wand.

_Magus... _Said a voice in his mind, seeming to come from the Crystal itself. As Aaron repeated the word, a purple cape appeared on his back, and he wore purple leather armor and a purple magicians cap on his head. The Crystal transferred itself to a leather cord around his neck, and in his hands appeared an ivory staff and wand. The Mage screamed and threw a bright gold fireball at Aaron. He simply flicked his wand and sent his own one, colored purple, smashing into the Mage's, and they both exploded with a blinding light. Both Aaron and the Mage were temporarily blinded. When Aaron's sight returned, he saw Spyro charging at the Mage, his head bent forward and his horns flaming. Aaron watched as she swung a staff of her own at Spyro. Aaron flung his hand at Spyro, but arcing upward. The Mage's staff struck nothing but air as Aaron levitated Spyro. Aaron dropped Spyro so he was heading for the Mage again, but she twirled her staff above her head and a purple square of magic formed above her and blocked Spyro. He landed hard on the platform, but immediately began to claw at it. Wrecking Ball, Voodood, and Double Trouble charged the Mage. She swung her staff in a circle around her, and the Skylanders were met with a shield dome. They bounced off and landed on the ground, dazed. The Mage laughed and sent bolts of magic at the Skylanders, which wrapped around them, restraining their movements. Aaron sent great arcs of lightning at the Mage, but her shield absorbed the blows. The Mage opened a small hole in her shield, and sent an orb of energy hurling towards Aaron. He just barely managed to throw up a shield of his own before the projectile, but it shattered upon contact.

Again and again, the Mage sent projectiles at Aaron, who just barely managed to shield himself. During a brief respite, Aaron saw the Mage chanting under her breath. Aaron got an idea. As the Mage opened a firing hole, Aaron aimed his staff. And as the Mage released the spell in her wand, Aaron threw up a shield. But instead of guarding himself, he opened it on the Mage's firing hole, blocking it. A great column of flame erupted from the Mage's wand, but it ricocheted off of Aaron's shield, and bounced around the Mage's dome at lightning speed until it struck the Mage in the back. She screamed and crumpled, her clothes smoking. Aaron crept towards her slowly. When he was a foot away from the Mage, she vanished into thin air. Aaron jumped back in shock. He brought his Crystals energy back, and looked around. Everything seemed peaceful. The Skylanders were released, and they came to stand by him. As he looked around, he noticed a large object. It had a rounded edge, and its top glowed purple.

"A Portal..." breathed Spyro. "Come on Aaron, we have to go back to Skylands!" He said, and ran towards it and jumped on with the rest. But as Aaron reached into his Crystal, A bomb flew from within the trees and struck Spyro. The force of the projectile sent Spyro hurling away, but then it exploded, encasing him in Evilized Fire. Spyro yelled in surprise and pain. But as Aaron watched, Spyro seemed to inhale the fire. His scales turned black, and his claws, wings, and horns turned silver. Dark Spyro roared. A small army of Bomb Shells dropped out of the trees, too many for Aaron to count. Ignoring Aaron, they took aim on Spyro. Aaron knew what would happen if Spyro was hit by any more Evilized Fire. Spyro would turn to the Darkness. He would kill Aaron. And Skylands would be doomed. As the enemies launched the first volley of bombs, Aaron swept his hand and pushed away all the bombs.

"Skylanders, to battle! Destroy the enemy! Spyro, don't get hit!" cried Aaron. He whipped out his wand and sent bolts of energy streaking at the enemy. With his staff, he created shields to block the bombs thrown. Dark Spyro leapt at the enemy, clawing and slashing, and taking out half of the enemy force. When the battle was done, the Mage leapt from a tree and sent wild magic hurling at Aaron. He barely managed to shield himself from the onslaught. As his shield went down, he pivoted to the left and sent his own magic at the Mage. As she created her shield, Dark Spyro leapt at her from the right. His talons gouged the Mage's shoulder, and she wailed in agony. She crumpled under Spyro's weight, and he started to tear her apart, sending blood flying everywhere.

"Stay... Away... From... AARON!" He shouted over the Mage's screams. When her body lived no more, Spyro flew to stand by Aaron. As the Mage's body disappeared again, Aaron's hand flew to his Crystal, but Spyro shook his head. "She's gone now. Come on, I have to get to the Core." He stated simply, and jumped onto the Portal. Aaron and the Skylanders followed after him. Aaron's mind sunk again into the Crystal, and he saw a glowing blue tunnel of magic in the sky. Using the Portal, he shot himself and the Skylanders home.

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**Hey! The chapter's up! Yay! I hope everyone has a good weekend!**

**Next up, Leah.**

**I'll try to make it awesome.**

**P.S. If anyone needs an example of what the Crystal sight would look like, you can look through the bottom of a Trap.**

**DeadPortal, out.**


	6. Leah, Portal Master of Air

Leah, Portal Master of Air

(Earth: Above Oklahoma, Present Day)

Leah was on a plane, waiting. She was going skydiving, something she did often. As the pilot leveled out at jump height, Leah unfastened herself from her seat. Strapped onto the back of her chair was her bow. It was a compound bow, made of a silver, lightweight metal. As she swung her quiver onto her back, loaded with a dozen arrows, she walked over to her small firing range. It was just a foam target mounted on the wall of the aircraft. After thirty arrows hit bulls eye, Leah was above her drop point. She shifted her quiver to the fastenings on her leg, and closed the cap on it. She clipped her bow to her specially made chute pack, and fastened herself into it.

"Leah, are you ready to jump?" Mark's voice rang out over the intercom. Leah checked herself over, and called back.

"All ready Mark! Go ahead and open the door!" Leah grinned as the cargo door opened, and wind whipped at her silver-blond hair. But as she looked outside, five meteorites flew in and struck Leah in the chest. She cried out in pain and fell. She saw the objects sitting on her chest, and gasped. The meteorites looked like four small creatures. There was a spiked turtle riding a tornado, a blue, muscular creature with a human like face and beard, but it was holding lightning and had a cloud instead of legs. There was also a black griffin with silver ankle bracelets and a silver headpiece, along with something that looked like a cross between a dragon and a unicorn. Also on her chest was a sky blue crystal. She took it in her fingers, and gasped again. In her mind, a collection of islands floating in the air appeared. She saw the Core of Light, and Eon's Citadel. She also saw, unwillingly, Draxx's Arkeyan army try to destroy the Citadel. She watched as the Skylanders charged into battle, but got called back. She couldn't entirely see Draxx's weapon, but she did witness the black beam strike Eon's Citadel and the monumental explosion that followed after. As her sight returned, she realized that Warnado, Lightning Rod, Sonic Boom, and Whirlwind was what struck her, and they were now sitting on her chest.

Whirlwind spoke in her head. "Leah, help us. An agent of the Darkness is on his way here. We must flee at once!" Leah's mind immediately went to Mark. She knew she couldn't put him in danger. She stood and shoved the figures into her pocket, and zipped it shut. She sprinted to the cargo door and leapt out. She tugged at the ripcord of her pack, but it wouldn't budge. She tugged harder, but with no result. She cried out. Her fall must have jammed her pack. Whirlwind spoke in her mind again. "The Crystal, Leah, the Crystal!" Leah's hand tightened on it, and her descent slowed. She realized that there was a wind current under her, keeping her aloft. She was wowed.

"How am I doing this?" She thought to Whirlwind

"You're a Portal Master," replied the unicorn-dragon hybrid, "and not only that, but you control the Air element." She stated.

"I'm impressed," said a voice behind Leah "but I think I'll be taking that stone now." Leah spun, and became face-to-face with a man in a black robe cuffed with light blue. He also held himself aloft with an air current.

"Oh? But, uh, won't I like, uh, fall?" Leah stated, playing dumb.

"I fixed your parachute while your back was turned." He stated.

"Oh. Okay!" Said Leah, "Just let me get it sir." She stated, then unzipped her pocket and reached in with her left hand, though the Crystal was in her right. What she grabbed though, was Sonic Boom. Her mind dropped back into the Crystal. "Here you go!" she said with a huge, stupid grin as she flung Sonic Boom at the man. As she flew through the air, Leah released the shield containing her, and Sonic Boom leapt at the man yelling "Die, Mage!"

The Mage had good reflexes. As Sonic Boom flew, a pair of sky-blue nunchaku appeared in his hands, capped with fans. He swung them, and a huge blast of air sent Sonic Boom scrambling. She flew backwards until she managed to right herself. Leah threw out, and then freed, the rest of her Skylanders. She also used a current of Air to keep her Crystal on her throat. She unclipped her bow, threw off her chute pack, opened her quiver, and knocked an arrow, pointed at the Mage's heart. He laughed at the heroes before him, and snapped his fingers. Behind him appeared an army of Buzzer Beaks and Air Spell Punks. The Skylanders backed up, and the Mage laughed again. He motioned forward, and his army advanced. The Punks used Air magic to speed up the Buzzers, making them highly dangerous. As fast as they were though, the Skylanders were more powerful. The Buzzers fell to Earth soon after they launched their attack. But what neither Leah nor the Skylanders noticed was a Buzzer beak flying after Mark's plane. The bird flew into the planes engine, and it caught fire. Leah cried out as she saw it, and went to fly after the plane. The Mage knocked her back. Then Lightning Rod and Warnado charged the Mage head on as Whirlwind and Sonic Boom flanked him. He knocked back the Storm Giant and Turtle, but the others flew past him and in the direction of the burning plane.

Lightning Rod and Warnado started to fall.

The Mage turned to the fleeing Skylanders.

Leah's rage finally broke free.

She flew at the Mage. The Crystal told her what to say. "AERIS!" She screamed. She was covered by sky-blue armor, and a white robe. Blue fans appeared in her hands, and she sent razor sharp air currents at him. his robe flapped and tore, and his face got covered with cuts.

"FOOL," he shouted at Leah, "don't you see?! Your friends cannot hold up an entire plane without your help! And yet here you are, trying to kill me. I can promise you that I will not die easily. Before I die, your friend will. But you let me go, you will still have time to save him. Either way, you win, but so do I. So what will it be, hero? Two people dying, or two people living?" Leah gritted her teeth.

"Lightning Rod, Warnado, come on. You got lucky this time, Mage. But you will pay." She vowed firmly. He laughed, then disappeared. Leah flew at the plane and, with her Crystal, she gently set it down. Before Mark could see her, she formed a Portal, and shot off to Skylands.

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**I am SO sorry about the late update! I had severe writers block. But don't worry, Maia, Portal Master of Tech, should be done Friday.**

**PLEASE REVIEW. I know at least 65 people have read this story, and I would LOVE new voices in the reviews.**

**DeadPortal, out.**


	7. Maia, Portal Master of Tech

Maia, Portal Master of Tech

Maia was a tinkerer. She always needed to be messing with something mechanical or she felt she would go insane. She was never diagnosed with ADHD, but no one would be surprised if she was. She couldn't sit still, and could always be seen messing with something. Her shoulder-length brown hair was tied behind her head as she craned her neck to look at whatever she was modifying. Mostly, she modified guns. Although she used to use Airsoft and Paintball guns, she started using Nerf guns, simply so she could modify them.

(Earth: Detroit, Michigan, Present Day)

Maia was out, Nerfing with some of her friends. She was doing a free-for-all death match in a forest. She snuck through the underbrush with her modded Retaliator, with brass barreling, a custom made pinpoint sight, and a fore-grip connected to the priming slide. She crouched under the arm of a tree, and hid herself in a bush. Her friends Joe and Rick had obviously formed an alliance, since they were walking next to each other. Maia took aim, and let loose two darts. She pegged the two guys straight in the forehead.

"Where did that come from?" Joe wondered out loud. Maia jumped out of the bush, causing the men to jump back.

"Alliances are prohibited." Maia stated. The men looked at each other, and their hands subtly went for their Nerf pistols. Maia primed her Retaliator, and they ran as she began landing painful blows on them. As Maia started to walk after them, something in the sky caught her eye. Five objects hurdled through the sky, followed by what appeared to be a man in a dark robe with a machine gun. Maia caught the objects and ran to hide in the underbrush. As the Crystal touched her palm, her mind filled with images of Skylands. As the figure she discerned to be the Tech Mage touched down on Earth, she took off to her car. She knew she had to lead him away from her friends. As she revved her engine, the Mage came crashing out of the woods. As he leveled his gun and aimed down the iron sights, Maia sped off. In her rear view mirror, she saw the Mage touch the door of one of her friends' cars, open it, and sped off in hot pursuit. Maia navigated through the twists and turns of Detroit, barely managing to control her vehicle.

_'What are we going to do now?' _Asked Trigger Happy, speaking in Maia's mind.

"Working on it." Replied Maia. As she drove, she released the Skylanders as they say in the back seat. "Boomer, punch out the windows. The back and side ones." he obeyed. "Good, now, I want Drobot and Trigger Happy to lean out the side windows, and Drill Seargent and Boomer to man the back one." As the heroes took their places, Maia turned onto a straight road. As she looked behind, she saw the Mage turn out behind her. "OPEN FIRE!" She screamed, and the Skylanders started firing at their foe. His car quickly became scorched and dented. As one of Boomer's dynamite landed on his hood, he shot out the tires of Maia's car. The Mage's car exploded, and the force of the blast, coupled with the popped tires, caused Maia's car to flip down the road for a minute straight. As it came to a rest on the hood, dented and smoking, Maia heard sirens in the distance. She tried to crawl out of the car, but realized her leg was broken.

"Guys, are you okay?" Maia asked.

"Affirmative." Replied Drobot.

"A little shaken, but okay." Said Boomer.

"All systems operational." Said Drill Seargent.

"Can we do that again?" Asked Trigger Happy with a shaky laugh.

"Guys, my leg is broken, and we'll be found soon." Maia stated. The heroes scrambled out of the wreckage and pulled her from it. She rolled onto her back and faced the car. She gripped her Crystal in one hand, and held her other out to the car. It shifted and twisted, folding in on itself until it was a Portal. Maia, with the aid of Boomer, hoisted herself up onto the Portal, and Blasted herself into Skylands.

* * *

**SO sorry for the late update. Holidays.  
**

**What do you guys think of Maia? She's going to have the most emotional stress on her out of all the Portal Masters.**

**See you guys again soon (hopefully).**

**-DeadPortal, out.**


	8. Bruce, Portal Master of Earth

Bruce, Portal Master of Earth

You wouldn't expect Bruce to be walking home alone. He had a large figure, and he likes lifting heavy things, so the gym was like a second home for him. He had just got done at the gym, and was now walking home. He tripped over something and looked back to see what it was. When he glanced back he saw a brownish gemstone. He was curious about it because he's walked the same route every day and has never seen this stone. When he picked it up memories flooded his head… He saw a world of floating islands. The vegetation was rich and lush, leaving colors to cascade across the landscape. With shimmering water of the deepest blue, and clouds of the purest white, the world seemed perfect.

It felt like home. He didn't know why, but it seemed like he had been to Skylands before. As he looked around, he wondered whether or not there were any Skylanders were nearby. He saw them perched on a ledge in a tree. He looked at the tree, and realized that he could jump up and off the to get to the Skylanders. He took a few steps away, then ran at the tree. He jumped and placed his foot on the tree, bending his knee in, then he pushed away with all his might. He flew backwards, and reached a hand out to grab Terrafin. His finger barely brushed against the shark when his voice cried out in Bruce mind.

"TRAP!" Screamed Terrafin, and a huge piece of stone burst form the ground and nailed Bruce in the side, causing him to go flying down the street. He landed and rolled across the pavement. A woman appeared above him, dressed in a black robe with brown cuffs.

"A child!" She sneered at the Portal Master. Bruce raised a stone under him to launch him onto his feet, and he turned on the Mage.

"I may be young, but I'm far more powerful than you will ever be." He declared.

"Nonsense," the Mage retorted, "Skylands will fall! Earth will fall! All will bow to the Darkness! There is nothing you, or any of your friends, or even Eon can do to stop it!" She screamed. "So give up now, while you still can. Give me the Crystal, and your life shall be spared, and when the Darkness comes, you shall be given to the Master as a servant." She offered. "Just surrender, and I shall make sure that you are spared."

Bruce sensed the truth in her words. He saw in her eyes that she would rather settle this bloodlessly. His mind pondered what he should do.

Eon spoke in his mind. "She speaks truly Bruce. But whereas you would survive, thousands others would die. Skylands shall not be safe until _all _of the Portal Masters, of _all_ of the Elements unite." Advised Eon. "If one of the Portal Masters dies, all of Skylands dies with them. So you must not surrender. You must fight the Darkness... But," Eon added, "that does not mean you must slay them." Bruce nodded.

"I'm sorry," he said, "but I must deny your offer. Skylands, and Earth, must stand free. Balance must be maintained. The Light must stand against the Dark, as it always has." The Mage nodded slowly, true sadness in her eyes. Then she steeled herself, and took up a fighting pose.

"I don't want to fight you." She said.

"Then don't. Yield. Go back to Skylands, but give up the Darkness. Start a new life for yourself, fight with the Light, instead of against it." Offered Bruce.

"I can't! You don't understand. The Master would kill me. I must fight against you, or he'll fight me himself. There is no salvation for me." Said the Mage. "I'm sorry."

"So am I." said Bruce, adopting a fighting stance of his own.

The Mage used a column of earth to rocket herself at Bruce. He rose a wall, and she slammed into it. He sent a column of his own through the wall. it slammed the Mage in the chest and sent her flying back. She landed on her feet and threw a boulder at him. he blocked with his wall, then sent tiny rock shards hurling at her as fast as a machine gun. She barely had time to roll under the barrage. She stood and threw even more boulders at him, which he successfully blocked. The Mage, getting tired of using her magic, raised a hammer of granite from the ground.

_"Petra..." _A voice whispered in Bruce mind. Repeating it, Bruce found that his body was covered in obsidian armor, with gauntlets and an axe. He twirled his axe as if it were a toy, and once again faced the Mage. She ran at him, and sung her hammer in an overhand strike. Bruce pivoted out of the way, and slammed the Mage in the back with the flat of his axe. She went soaring, and landed on the road hard. She tried to stand, but he stood over her.

"Yield." He commanded. She shook her head weakly, and managed to stand. She tried to lift her hammer, but found she was too weak to. "Yield." He commanded again. She looked at him sadly, nodded, and turned to dust. Bruce looked around. Everything seemed normal. If not for the armor and weapons he still wore, he would've believed his encounter with the Mage was a figment of his imagination. he walked back over to the Skylanders. As he took a few steps back from the tree again, and ran at it. once again he jumped, and propelled himself backwards. Gripping the tree branch, he hoisted himself up to where the frozen heroes sat. After he grabbed the figures, he did a backflip off the tree branch and landed in a crouch. He spread the frozen fighters around him, and brought them back to normal. Raising a Portal from the earth, he rushed off to Skylands.

* * *

**Hey guys. So I only have one more intro chapter to do before we get to Skylands. I really appreciate how much support you guys are giving me, so keep it up! I love writing for y'all, and I hope you guys love reading.  
**

**-DeadPortal, out.**


	9. Julia, Portal Master of Life

Julia, Portal Master of Life

Julia loved nature. Many a day would she spend just wandering through the forest close to her home, admiring the beauty and life around her. She constantly wandered off the trails, though never got lost. Once, she had stumbled upon a small clearing surrounded by willow trees and with a small stream running through. She came there often, and just sat, her tan skin basking in the sunlight. It was on one of these days that changed her life forever.

(Maine, Earth, Present Day)

Julia was sitting in her willow grove, enjoying the sunshine and sounds of nature. She heard birds chirping, wind sighing through the trees, the rustling of leaves, the gentle chuckle of the stream as it flowed. But something was... different. She seemed to feel a strong concentration of life coming towards her. From the sky. She looked up, and rocketed to her feet, for there were five green-glowing meteorites hurling towards her. As they drew nearer, Julia thought everything became more... Alive. The trees seemed to sway to their own accord, animals seemed to be more energetic, even the grass beneath her feet seemed to pulse with life. And as she caught the meteors, the green gemstone touched her palm. Fantastic visions flashed through her mind like lightning. Dragons. Elves. Islands floating in the sky. A word formed in her mind. Skylands. But it arose not from the Crystal, nor the life around her. It came deep from her subconscious. It came from within her. She didn't know how, but she knew all there was to know about Skylands. The fact that she had held this knowledge in her subconscious so long scared her. It didn't make any sense to her, and as she looked to the figures in her arms, once again information came to the surface from the depths of her mind. She knew the elven ninja-Stealth Elf, the Treeman-Stump Smash, the plant/dragon-Camo, and the Bambazooker-Zook. She set them on the ground, and her mind dropped into her Crystal. Her view became shaded with an emerald green hue. The heroes in front of her glowed with an inner magic trying to be freed from the prison containing it. The Portal Master focused her might and brought the power of Life crashing down on the containment magic. The prisons shattered, and the warriors were freed. They rose, but instantly turned, drawing their weapons. Julia peered over them, and noticed now what she hadn't before. A squadron of Drow Spearmen reinforced with Life Spell Punks and Arkeyan Jousters. And a man behind them all, wearing a black cloak cuffed with green. A Mage.

"Alright child, let's settle this bloodlessly. Hand over the Crystal," he snarled "or you and your friends die!"

"I'm not afraid of you, or the Darkness! I will stand against you, and all who serve the Dark! Skylanders, to battle!" She cried. Another word rose in her mind, _gramen_... As she spoke this word, green leather armor covered her, a thorn dagger hung from her waist, and in her hand appeared a... rose? She wondered at this, but a Drow came charging towards her. Without thinking, she swung the rose. It transformed. The stem became a hard leather grip, the leaves became metal and spiked, and a chain slid from the handle. She crushed the Drow's skull with her rose mace, making a sickening _thud. _She cringed, but pressed into the fight, crushing arms, legs, heads... Anything that got in her way. Drow fell, Arkeyans crumpled, and the Mage laughed. He laughed.

"What's so funny?" Julia sneered, "Or are you just trying to laugh in the face of your death?" The Mage laughed even louder.

"No, it's just that, like an idiot, you've let yourself be surrounded. Archers!" He called. Drow appeared from the branches of trees, cloaked in leaves, and drew their bows, arrowheads glinting in the sunlight. Julia gulped. "Swordsmen!" He cried again. More Drow stepped from the treeline, also camouflaged with leaves. They drew swords from the scabbards in their hips, and the air filled with the sound of steel on leather. Even the Skylanders seemed nervous. A plan slowly started to form in Julia's mind.

The archers nocked their arrows.

The swordsmen started to advance.

"Now!" cried Julia. The Skylanders ran at the Drow forces. Surprised by the heroes going on the offensive, the archers took about two seconds to aim. That was all the time Julia needed. With her Life magic, she made the rope-like canopy of the trees wrap around the archers. Once ensnared, the trees threw their captives at the Mage. He cried out as he watched the projectiles hurl towards him, and he was soon buried under a pile of bodies. After seeing the power of the trees, the swordsmen tried to run, but were also picked up. The Mage pushed his way out of the pile that trapped him. After seeing his soldiers defeated, he picked up the nearest bow and quiver, and nocked an arrow, aimed at Julia

"Make another move, and be destroyed," he warned, "no Life energy could save..." The Mage never finished that sentence. Instead, is body went limp, firing the arrow off wildly. He fell forward, and revealed the two dragon tooth daggers buried in his back. His body turned into grass, and Stealth Elf picked up and sheathed her blades. But where the Mage fell, the grass grew taller and wove together to create a Portal. The Portal Master and her Skylanders then used it to return to Skylands.

* * *

**Hey, it's me again. Sorry I didn't update sooner, but i've been studying for my finals next week. I might not have time for an update, but I will try.**

**Coming up: minor plot (FINALLY)**

**~DeadPortal, out.**


	10. Kelly, Portal Master of Light

Kelly, Portal Master of Light

Kelly was a film photographer. She could always be found in bright places, taking photos of anything that sparked her interest. She had a bright, bubbly personality that matched her pure white hair. She loved sunshine, and was a huge believer in democracy and justice. But she had a secret. She wasn't human. She was an Angel, with the power of Light. Back when the Darkness first struck and was defeated, the order of Portal Masters decided that two of their order would travel to Earth, in case the Doorways were to once again open. She had immediately volunteered, along with another.

"There will be a cost, young Kelly," warned a wise Portal Master named Eon, "you will still have an incredibly long lifespan, but, as we close the Doorways, your angelic form, and much of your power of Light will be diminished. If you do partake upon this quest, you will become an average human." The news sat like a stone in the young Angel's stomach, but she accepted nonetheless. So, as she was transported to Earth to await the day that she may return, she wondered if she would ever again see her home.

(Attelboro, Massachusetts, Earth)

_Focus... And... _Snap! Kelly had just taken her eighth picture of the day, a leaf turning golden yellow in the autumn sky. But she had taken the picture on accident, because as she was aiming, a cluster of meteors streaked through the sky. There were two things wrong with that. First, meteors are hardly ever in clusters. And secondly, it was midday, so no natural meteors should have been visible. She looked down at her hand, and concentrated. A ball of light bloomed from her palm, and she squealed. She tried for a larger area of light, but to no avail. _'Rats,' _she thought _'the time has come, but I do not have enough magic.' _She dashed towards home to prepare for the war she knew was to come.

As she reached her home, she unlocked the front door and ran into her basement. She pressed a hidden panel in the wall and it swung open to reveal her armor. She paced forward and took her sword from the wall, unsheathing it. The air filled with the sound of leather scraping metal as she drew her blade. It was an elegant blade, slim with a jagged edge. She admired the Arkeyan steel for a moment, then re-sheathed it and strapped it to her waist. Next were her gauntlets. She secured them around her arm then flicked her wrist. A mirror slid into her palm. She concentrated, and a ray of light bounced off the mirror, magnified, and left a small black mark on the wall. In Skylands, with more magic, she could burn down entire airships with her mirrors. But ever since the Doorways closed, magic on Earth started fading away. The only reason she had survived thousands of years like she had was because the magic still left had fueled her huge lifespan. Within the past few years, she had felt it fading away, and knew that she would soon die if she could not return to Skylands. But now the Doorways were opening, and magic was leaking back into Earth.

She slid on her chest plate, then her helm. Finally, she was ready for battle. And not a moment too soon, for she heard explosions drawing closer. She ran up the stairs, only to be confronted by Arkeyan soldiers. They stared at her for a moment, then raised their blades. In a flash, Kelly had her sword drawn and cut the three robots in half. They fell, then an explosion rocked the foundations of Kelly's home. She ran outside to see a fleet of Arkeyan Copters. They opened fire, and humans started swarming onto the streets, then ran as they saw they were being invaded by... Whatever these bombers were. Kelly started speeding down the street, running at the Copter closest to her. She climbed up to the nearest roof, said the first prayer that popped into her mind, and jumped. Beautiful, ten foot long, golden-white wings sprouted from her back, and she soared through the air. Her blade flashed as she flew by the first Copter, and it plummeted from the sky, missing a propeller. One of the pilots noticed, and soon all the enemy fighters had opened fire on the Angel. She swerved to avoid orbs of lethal magic, and one by one, the Copters fell, their engines melted by Light. Soon the Arkeyans were simple piles of wreckage. Kelly heard the word "Angel" more than once from the crowd, but she had little time to contemplate, for she had already formed a Portal, and was on her way to Skylands.

* * *

**Hey guys! Guess what? I'm not dead!**

**(Get it? Cause my name is DeadPortal? No? Okay, I'll stop trying lol.)**

**SO sorry about the long wait. R.I.P. my laptop.**

**Next chapter is already written on paper, so as soon as I get that typed up here, I'll update :)**

**And yes, some battles will be on Earth.**

**DeadPortal, out!**


	11. Jason, Portal Master of Dark

Jason, Portal Master of Dark

Jason lived nocturnally, which wasn't surprising, considering he was (quite literally) a demon trapped in a human body. Well, it shouldn't be said that he was trapped, for he had volunteered for his current form.

(Skylands, Core of Light, thousands of years ago)

When Jason heard that some Portal Masters were needed to reside on Earth, he immediately jumped at the chance. Ever since the Darkness struck, he had been trusted less and less by the residents of Skylands, who couldn't see the difference between Dark and the Darkness. Though it was true that the two elements were the same at their core, Dark was the true element, while the Darkness was essentially Dark magic influenced with hatred and greed, which was then used for evil. The very minute the Darkness struck, Jason became an outcast. The other Portal Masters even forbid him from being on the same battlefield as the Darkness, fearing that he would turn against them. Jason was the first one to volunteer for the relocation to Earth, along with his best friend, and the only one to still accept him, Kelly.

He had lived a busy life on Earth. He was a vigilante, always striking at evil, always in the shadows. He had toppled kings, queens, dictators, mafias, anything he had deemed wrong. He always fought with his short sword, and rarely ever used guns. One American director, after hearing about Jason's exploits, made a movie loosely based on him, which portrayed a large man with a hockey mask and machete who murdered many people, mostly teenagers. But when Jason killed, it was always in the name of justice.

(Las Vegas, Earth, Present Day)

Explosions rang through the city streets as Arkeyans razed it. Humans could be seen running. trying to escape the brutal slaughter. Another round struck, and corpses flew through the air. Then, as one of the Copters lowered its altitude to drop ground troops, it exploded. The firelight illuminated a man with dark hair with a sword in his hand. Leathery, bat-like wings sprouted from his back, and he took off into his sky. He barely managed to avoid Arkeyan fire. The figure turned and called out "Humans! Flee! Get underground! I'll hold them off!" Some heard, and fled into the sewers from the craters made by Arkeyan bombs. Jason turned to the Arkeyans, and summoned his courage. He drew his arms out straight, then brought them together. A sound like thunder rang through the air, and inky strands of dark pooled from his hands. The Dark energy shot towards the Copters, encasing them in a cloud of blackness. He heard screams from inside, and the war machines fell and clanked on the ground, crushing the frame and leaving even more craters. All was silent for a moment, then there was a steady marching rhythm as Arkeyan foot soldiers swarmed from the wreckage and organized into a phalanx formation. They then advanced towards the civilians at full sprint. just before the first soldier could take the life of a man trapped under some wreckage, the robots were met with a flurry of blades. Jason stood above the man, hacking away at the soldiers. The man could only gape in awe as he watched the winged boy cut through an entire platoon of these alien invaders. When Jason stood in a pile of wreckage, he turned to the man, who visibly flinched. Jason gently reached down, got a hold on the chunk of concrete, and threw it, freeing the man. He then took off into the air.

"These Arkeyans have been defeated!" He cried, which was answered with a cheer. "The battle is won, but the war is far from over! There will be more, and in greater numbers. But you must resist! Spread the word to master the Elements; Air, Earth, Fire, Life, Magic, Tech, Undead, and Water. You will have to resist, and keep your world and your will. I will return to my world to fight there, but I can not destroy them all. Keep Earth free! I will return, with help!"

And with that, he flew to his Portal, and teleported to Skylands.

* * *

**Whew! Glad that's out of the way! **

**So yeah, there will be battles in both worlds.**

**Will the humans be able to resist the Arkeyans?**

**Will Jason fall to the Darkness?**

**Will the humans fall to the Darkness?**

**Tune in next time to find out!**

**DeadPortal, out!**


	12. Not Such A Warm Welcome

Not Such A Warm Welcome  


(Aaron's POV)

The effect was instantaneous. I was consumed in a ball of light and energy, and flew off. Hurdling through space at an immense speed, I expected to be either burning up or freezing cold, but actually I only felt... Warm. As I left the Earth's atmosphere, I realized I could breathe in space due to the magic that encased me. I looked behind me and saw Earth. Large, beautiful, and filled with life, I felt a sense of purpose as I realized that it was up to me and the rest of the Portal Masters to protect it. Then I turned again, and caught my first glimpse of Skylands. The world emanated magic, and as I sped through the Doorway that linked our two worlds, I felt the weight of two worlds start to bear down on my conscious. If I couldn't lead the Portal Masters, if I wasn't strong enough, if I fell... Both of these worlds would be lost, along with trillions of lives. The Darkness would consume Skylands and Earth, and... I tried not to think about it. I exited out the Doorway, and was immediately greeted by the Core of Light. I landed at the base of Eon's Citadel, followed by seven other Portal Masters.

Before I had even a second to look around, I heard a voice call "Get a medic over here!" I started sprinting as I caught sight of a woman on the ground, clutching her leg which oozed blood and had deep gouges. But I was beaten there by another Portal Master, dressed completely in black with a hood shadowing his face. The rest of my team- _hey, that's got a good sound to it_\- gathered around soon after.

"How bad is it?" Asked the girl on the ground.

The man in black answered "Pretty bad. Multiple lacerations, bone fragmentation, large amounts of shrapnel. Not sure if I can repair the bone, but I can stop the bleeding." With that, his hand glowed a dark gray as it hovered over the shattered leg. The bleeding miraculously stopped.

Whirlwind walked over and looked at the wound. She gulped.

"I can heal the bone with help from your Undead magic. But the shrapnel has to come out first." He nodded, and placed two fingers on the ground. Two small bone needles rose from the dirt.

"I'm going to need her unconscious." He said, and I pulled out my wand. One spell later, and she was knocked out.

It took about ten minutes to remove all of the metal from her leg, with Eon watching closely. When that was finished, Whirlwind laid one hand on his shoulder, and he grasped his Crystal in the palm of his hand. He let his free hand glide over the bone first, and it sealed itself together with a gray light. Then he had Whirlwind hold the cuts on the Portal Master's leg together, and he trailed a finger over the wounds, causing the flesh to meld back together. When it was all over, the leg had a few small scars, but they quickly faded. The Portal Master then awoke, sat up, and looked at her leg. She gasped in surprise, then looked up at the man.

"Thank you..." She stammered.

"Ryan, Portal Master of Undead." He said.

"Maia, Tech." She replied, shaking his hand. Ryan stayed only for a second, then dashed off to help the injured Skylanders as the rest of the Portal Masters introduced ourselves. Then we each split up and gathered the wounded. After all were tended to, we heard a scream come from the direction of the Core of Light. As we dashed over, we all were stopped in our tracks by the sight before us.

Spyro was screaming in pain and rage. He was on the ground, writhing. A man with dark hair and leathery wings stood above him with his arm stretched towards the dragon and casting a blackness onto him. Spyro was pure black, except for his white, pupiless eyes. Spyro suddenly stopped screaming, and stood up. He looked straight at me, and prepared to pounce.

"Now!" yelled the man with wings. A woman stepped forward, someone who could only be described as an angel. Her hair was a beautiful brown, matched by her hazel eyes. She wore a pure golden robe, and a pair of snowy white wings sprouted from her back. She cast her hand towards Spyro, and a beam of Light sprung towards him. When the light hit him, he froze, and his eyes widened. He shuddered, and the Dark peeled off of his scales. For a split second, through the light that covered him, I saw Spyro actually turn _golden._ Then the light faded, and Spyro was returned to normal. But the Dark around his feet started bubbling, and rose to create a clone of Spyro, but instead of purple and gold, the clone was black and silver, with blood red pupils. Everyone prepared for a fight, but the clone merely laid down. The Dark man stepped forward and spoke again.

"Good. I have separated Spyro from his Dark side." He turned to the rest of us. "I'm Jason. Portal Master of Dark. The lady is Kelly, and a Portal Master of Light, like Eon. Come, Dark Spyro. We shall retire to my quarters." And with that, the Dark pair flew off.

Eon then appeared. "Greetings, young Portal Masters. Welcome to Skylands, a realm of magic and infinite possibilities. I have called you here because both our worlds are on the brink of war, and it us up to you, and your Skylanders, to stop this from happening."

(John's POV)

"So where do we start?" I asked. Kelly stepped forward, a smirk playing on her lips.

"Combat training." she said, and snapped her fingers. Light apparitions of trolls appeared all around us. I scoffed, thinking that these were little more than sunbeams, and punched one. Heat encased my hand, burning it. I yelled in pain, pulling my hand back. Kelly laughed. I summoned my sword and armor, which appeared in a ball of fire. The fight had begun. I hacked at the first troll I saw, and it simmered out. Another swung at me with a mace, but I jumped back. I swiped at the offender, but its' mace caught mine, and held. _'So the weapons are physical, and the bodies are superheated.' _I thought to myself. I pulled my blade free, and struck down three more trolls before I had to fall back.

(Leah's POV)

I was running out of arrows. Fast. Once I realized I only had two left, I simply threw down my bow and drew them into my hands, like makeshift short spears. I stabbed one troll, and it dissolved. another snuck up behind me, and struck me in the back of the knee. I went down with a cry of pain, feeling my leg blister. The troll rose its weapon to strike me again.

Two more trolls came to strike me, their weapons spelling pain as they fell.

And fell.

And then, they were caught mid swing.

By a scythe. Ryan stood over me, guarding. Three more trolls came forward. Ryan's scythe sliced through them with ease. Five more came, and Ryan charged. But right before his scythe reaped the trolls, they dissapeared. I heard wings beating above me, and looked up to see Jason. "You're doing good," he called, "but you'll be fighting the Darkness. So let's see you fight in the dark." He clapped his hands, sounding like thunder. Inky blackness flew from his hands, encasing the field. '_Not the warm welcome I expected'_ I thought to myself.

* * *

**Dun dun duuuuuuun! Cliffhanger. originally, this chapter was going to be a lot longer, but I broke it up.**

**Jason is the type of guy who's not afraid to maim the Portal Masters.**

**Will they be okay?**

**Maybe, if they can work together.**

**Reviews are always appreciated, and do motivate me to write more. I need to know what I'm doing right and what I'm doing wrong, so PLEASE let me know.**

**~DeadPortal, back to the Underworld.**


	13. K-A-O-S

**K-A-O-S**

(Ryan's POV)

The cloud of Dark descended on us. As soon as it settled, dread flooded my consciousness. Voices popped into my head, whispering doubts with the voice of a grudging spirit. '_You will fail... You will die...' _I heard Leah scream into the darkness. The sound was mournful and piteous, and my heart was gripped in an iron vice. A deep cold spread through my body. '_She will die..._' The voice taunted. "Enough!" I screamed. The voices receded. "Stand strong! The voices can't hurt you!" I called.

"True, they cannot hurt you." I heard Jason call, "But my other creatures can. And just how do you propose to fight something you can't see?" He taunted. John responded by sending up a pillar of flame. It did nothing to break the Dark, but it did give us some light to fight by. We rallied around John, then I had a horrible thought. '_This light lets us see the enemy, but also lets the enemy see us._' I also knew that John's Crystal was running out of energy, along with everyone else's. We needed a plan. Leah was still injured, and John was occupied. That left us with six Portal Masters. That was far too few. My own Crystal was almost full. I found myself wishing that I knew more of my powers. The shadows around me rippled. I heard scratching and growling. The beasts were getting bolder. We were running out of time. I held out a hand unconsciously. The shadows bent and swayed. Bone rose from the ground, a pedestal. On it lay a black leather book. The firelight illuminated golden writing. "Grimoire" it read. I took the book, and it felt heavy in my hand.

The book emanated Undead magic. It flew open, though no wind blew. No one else seemed to notice this, nor were they even paying attention. By the firelight, I saw a spell on the page before me, illustrated with a horde of zombies, ghosts, skeletons, vampires… The entirety of the Undead lay on the page before me. This spell would summon them. This spell would save us. This spell would destroy me. I knew there wouldn't be enough energy in my Crystal for this. There isn't enough magic in my entire body for this. Even my Crystal and body combined couldn't fuel this spell. If I cast it now, I would be destroyed, along with everyone around me... If I cast this, I would kill the other Portal Masters. The very thought made me queasy. I looked to my Left at Leah, then to my right at Aaron, then I slammed the book shut, and tucked it inside my jacket. Eon then called "Portal Masters, call forth a Skylander." I hesitated only a second before I made my decision.

(Aaron's POV)

Whatever Jason had summoned, it was finally showing itself. Or rather, they. Sleek, black bodies, rippling with muscle. Four strong, powerful legs, each ending in claws. A long, thin, whip-like tail, with a barbed end. Snarling snouts, full of razor sharp teeth. And the eyes... They glowed a pure, blood red. Jason had summoned Hell hounds. I started shaking all over. I knew that these beasts could easily kill me, and Jason would let them. I had almost no form of a melee weapon. If one of these hounds could pounce, and get on top of me, it would rip me apart. After Eon's advice, I saw a flash to my left, and Chop Chop came on to the battlefield. On my right, Zap leapt forth from a vortex. More Skylanders appeared in flashes of light. I held out my hand, and yelled "Spyro!" My hand, eyes, and Crystal glowed purple. A violet vortex appeared before me, and the legendary dragon sprung forth. He took a momentary glance at the scene unfolding around him, then he took a defensive stance. The Portal Masters and Skylanders prepared for battle. We surrounded John as the hounds circled us. The lead hound took a step towards the ring.

It was staring straight at me.

The beast crouched low, preparing to spring. Spyro let loose a deep growl, then leapt at the Hell hound. Just before his claws struck, it disappeared. All the Hell hounds disappeared. The Dark cloud lifted, and the sunlight made us shield our eyes. "Prepare for invasion!" Jason called. Skylanders swarmed the isle, taking up defensive positions. Turrets rose form the ground. A maniacal laugh rang out over the island, and a blue, holographic head arrived in a black, storming cloud. It had blue skin, with black markings around the glowing white eyes.

"Eon," the head called, "show yourself! For it is I, your supreme emperor, Kaos! K-A-O-S! Surrender now, or face you're DOOM! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Eon appeared above us and called "Kaos? What happened to your head? It looks ridiculous. Begone, foul villain, for we have no quarrel with you" But these words fell on deaf ears. As soon as Eon commented on his head, Kaos started ranting about his head, and how "awesome" it was. We heard a switch being pulled, and pirate warships flew out of the cloud. They began dropping bombs on the isle, destroying turrets and wounding Skylanders. Eon ordered the Portal Masters to fall back to the Core, and stay hidden as long as possible. Jason encased us in shadow, and we ran, dodging random artillery. We arrived at the Core, and Kelly began working with a control panel. She stood back with satisfaction as the Core's beam split apart to create a domed shield around the island. The shield burned any ship that tried to fly through, making the island impenetrable. This infuriated Kaos more, and with a scream of rage he threw an arc of Darkness as the Light, causing it to shutter. Maybe the island wasn't so impenetrable. The remaining ships circled the dome, raining shards of Petrified Darkness, along with Kaos' magic. Explosions rang across the surface of the dome, causing it to crack. Kaos' head shimmered out of existence, then his castle loomed out of the cloud. The little twerp himself stepped out onto a balcony, and aimed his hands at the dome. A massive column of Evilized Fire came crashing down upon the dome. It held for merely a second before it shattered like glass. Kaos stopped, and ordered his ground troops to attack. The few Skylanders who were still able to stand charged at the enemy. Seeing this, Kaos sent a new burst of flame towards the Skylanders. The Portal Masters sprung into action. I raised my staff, and created a shield before the flame. It disintegrated almost immediately. Leah sent a gust of wind to stifle the flame, but it was ineffective. Lauren drew water from the beach, and threw it at the flame, but it evaporated. Julia threw various plants at Kaos, and Ryan threw bone spears, but both burned up in the flame. This had gotten Kaos' attention though. His flame stopped for only a second as he aimed at us. Before we could stop him, the evil Portal Master sent a fresh pillar of flame straight at us. John leapt forward and let loose his own cyclone of fire. The two blasts met and pushed against each other, spewing out in every direction.

(Maia's POV)

I jumped back as the masses of flame collided. I looked over to John. He seemed infuriated, but he was also very pale. Using this much energy was taking a toll on him. Thankfully Bruce threw a stone wall between the two Portal Master's flames. The last of John's flame streaked of the wall, and almost hit me. I took a step backwards, and my hand brushed the Core. Magic streamed from the Eternal Tech Source, and into my Crystal. I gasped at the feeling; cold energy flew from the Core, into and through my arm, and stored itself in my Crystal. Looking at Kaos, a plan hatched in my head. Tapping directly into the Source, I summoned a workbench and a toolbox. After five minutes of hearing Kaos rant about the wall, I was done.

"Bruce!" I called, "Give me a lift!" He nodded, and a column of rock rose beneath my feet. I was launched into the sky, and I locked eyes with Kaos. I leveled my newly-made RPG-7 at him, and fired. The rocket screamed through the air, and struck the balcony Kaos was standing on. It exploded, and Kaos flew backwards and struck his head on the door frame. I hollered with joy. Then I realized that I was falling. I slammed into the ground, and a stabbing pain erupted in the back of my head, and I screamed in agony. Just before I blacked out, I heard one of Kaos' minions call a retreat...

* * *

**I am SO sorry that I haven't updated in so long. It's the end of the school year, and that has really stressed me out. But I have read all of your reviews, and your continued support has really motivated me. Please let me know what you think of this chapter.**

**-DeadPortal, out-**


	14. The Oracle

**Note: Whenever I refer to Flynn's ship, I mean after Sharpfin upgraded it.**

* * *

The Oracle

(Maia's POV)

When I woke up, the first thing I felt was an explosive pain in the back of my head. I clutched at it, barely able to keep from screaming in pain. The next thing I felt were the dressings on my head. Then I felt the rough wool cot beneath me. I wondered where on Earth I was, and what the heck happened to my head. Then it all came back to me. The Crystal. The Portal. Skylands. As I opened my eyes, I saw Whirlwind laying on the floor beside me. I nudged her, and her eyes flew open.

"You're alive!" She cried, causing me to cover my ears. I looked around, there were cots all around me, but they were all empty.

"The battle," I said, "all the bombings. I couldn't have been the only casualty."

"You weren't," Whirlwind said, and I thought I saw tears forming in her eyes. "but all the rest were healed in a matter of hours. You..." She managed to choke out, "You fell into a coma after your fall. It was one bad head blow... It took me, Julia, and Ryan altogether to stabilize you, and afterwards we couldn't wake you." She started sobbing after that.

"How long have I been out?" I asked.

"Two weeks." She said. I gasped. Two weeks? The battle felt like it was only a few hours ago. Just then, Aaron burst through the infirmary door. He looked at me, and his eyes lit up.

"You're awake! You're alive!" He leaned out the doorway. "Guys, she's alive! Come quick, she's alive!" I heard footsteps pounding my way, and I sent a pleading look to Whirlwind. She gave me an understanding nod, went to the doorway. She stood up on her hind legs, stretched her wings out, and sent out a thundering storm cloud. The Portal Masters came to a dead halt.

"Only one at a time." Whirlwind stated in a no-nonsense attitude. Everyone backed up. After the visitations were over, I was left to rest for another two hours as Whirlwind used her magic to take away my pain.

The next morning, once I was able to stand, Eon called a meeting. We assembled in his personal office inside the Citadel. It was a large room at the top of the tower, with a high ceiling, marble walls, and an enormous stone fireplace. Eon floated above his chair, an odd sight, and called the meeting to order.

"Greetings, Portal Masters." He began, "You have been summoned here to defend not only this world, but your own. The Darkness is on the move, and it is up to you to stop it. This battle will not be easy. There will be wins, but there will also be losses. We are officially at war. The Darkness is already starting to spread. Behold." A magic screen appeared. It showed gray, craggy mountains, jagged cliffs, dead trees, dried up rivers, and piles of corpses. Then I spotted it. A huge mass was slowly ambling through the narrow passes, leaving death and destruction in its wake. It was an army. A big one, probably at least a thousand strong. I heard the marching of the army. Metallic footsteps. Robotic voices. "Arkeyans." I said. Everyone turned to me. "I don't know how, but I can tell from the sound of the footsteps that it's Arkeyan steel. The robotic calls only confirm it." But then I spotted a smaller force ahead of the Arkeyan army. I pointed it out, and Eon zoomed in on it as much as he could. Apparently there was some magical shield that stopped this vision from getting too close. All I could make out was a swarm of green soldiers marching. I heard some more orders issued, but I couldn't make out the language.

"That's Troll dialect." Said Aaron. I cast him a questioning glance. "I guess my affinity with the Magic element helps me understand different dialects." He said with a shrug. I nodded.

"We are going to need a battle plan." I said. There was a nod a of agreement. Eon pulled up a map of the area, and I chose a location. "We'll wait for the enemy to enter this narrow pass, and stage our assault. These mountains will form a barrier so the trolls won't be able to flank us, and we'll have the advantages of higher ground and surprise. The only thing I'm worried about are anti-aircraft guns, so we'll need some sort of small aircraft to get us in there, and back out again." Eon nodded, also a weird sight.

"I believe that Captain Flynn may be of service to you with his air balloon," He said, "but first, I would like for you to visit the Oracle." We all looked at him dumbfounded. He simply nodded. "The Oracle of Skylands. A magical being that can see anywhere and anything in the past or present. And, since the Skylanders helped him in his studies, he can now see into the future." I was actually a bit dumbfounded. Before I could question him further, Eon's assistant Hugo appeared from a porthole in the ground.

"Should I have Flynn prepare his ship?" The short Mabu asked. After another nod from Eon, he motioned for us to follow him. After a quick stop by Flynn's ship, Hugo led us to the field behind the Citadel. Eon appeared once again. Hugo flipped a switch, and a Portal flipped up from under the ground.

"This, obviously, is a Portal, the primary tool of the Portal Masters. It can be used to connect two points in space, dimension and, if we are to believe legends, even time. You can use it to transport Skylanders, other beings, and even yourself, though that is very dangerous." He stressed. "Also, this is not just any Portal, but a Portal of Power. The difference is that a simple Portal is formed from the magic of a single Element, and a Portal of Power is formed from magic from all eight Elements. So now, who will be our first operator, and our first transportation subject?"

(Aaron's POV)

"I volunteer to operate." I said a second later, stepping forward. Lauren stepped up and volunteered to be teleported. She jumped onto the Portal. I held out my hand at the Portal, and it started to glow. The color fluctuated with all the colors the represented the Elements.

"Concentrate," Eon said, "focus on the spot you want her to travel to. Concentrate on that location, and the Portal will do the rest." I stared at a place in front of me, about twenty feet away. I stared hard at the spot, and imagined Lauren standing there. My eyes, along with the Portal, flashed purple. Suddenly, Lauren was standing there. She jumped back in shock, and I did the same. We both landed on our butts, and stared at each other for a moment. Then we busted out laughing. We took another fifteen minutes to let everyone have a turn operating the Portal, and then we went to check back with Flynn.

"You Portal manipulator, master people are lucky enough to be accompanied by the most skilled, most handsome and yes, even most awesome person and pilot in all of Skylands. Me. BOOM!" He yelled while striking a pose. I simply rolled my eyes at him and boarded. Within half an hour we were at the Oracle's lair. We were suddenly teleported inside. The Oracle was a one-eyed octopus like creature, with blue skin and writhing tentacles. He floated over a pit in a marble room.

"Greetings Aaron, Leah, Jason, Bruce, John, Julia, Kelly, Maia, Ryan, Lauren. I have been expecting you." Kelly stepped forward.

"How do you know our names? Oh, wait, duh, you're the Oracle..." She stepped back with her face covered.

The Oracle chuckled. "Yes, dear child, I know all. I know why you are here, and what you seek. So I shall give it to you. Here is a prophecy.

_**Darkness has risen, and shall rise again.**_  
_** Corrupting a hero,**_  
_** exposing the sin.**_  
_** Heroes friend villains in uniting the ten.**_  
_** Both worlds will fall, or be born**_  
_** again.**_  
_** An unseen force grows in numbers.**_  
_** Just as the Darkness grows in**_  
_** hunger.**_

You must stand strong, and be brave. Trillions of lives are depending on you. Now hurry, you are running out of time. The army approaches." With that, we were transported back to Flynn's ship. His air balloon was already inflated on the main deck. We jumped in, and took off, headed for the ambush.

* * *

**Yay! An update that isn't ridiculously far away from the last one! I'm so happy! I already have the brunt of the next chapter written, but I need to go through and tweak some things, and finish up on the ending. Once again, thank you to all my dedicated viewers. It is YOU and your reviews that keep me going. Tune in next time for a massive battle. See you later!  
**

**-DeadPortal**


	15. The First Battle

(Noah's POV)

We're standing on an un-named Skyland, and the sky is gray and bleak. All around us is gray, craggy mountains and cliffs. Bruce has found a high cliff for us, and now we stand upon it in a line. Eon floats above our heads. Maia walks down the line, handing us each an item wrapped in cloth.

"Unroll them." she commands. We all obey. I find myself holding a tapered metal rod. It's shiny and silver, but for a gold ring around the middle with a small crystal next to it, and it seems that it may be the handle of some weapon, probably a sword. I, look around. Each of the Portal Masters have one, though they vary in length and color. There's one similarity between them all, one that I hadn't noticed. They all had a small opening, with the hatch ajar, revealing it.

"These are Elemental Swords," Maia states. "Eon helped me craft them. They are specially designed for each if you, and harness the power of your Element. The openings you see are the Crystal Arrays. You need to put your Crystal in them to power them. After your Crystal is in place, just hit the button to activate the blade... Or blades, in your case." she says, nodding at John. He slammed his Crystal in and pressed the button. There was a _snap_ and a blood red, light weight, flaming blade sprung out of each end of his Sword. As he stood, he admired his new weapon, and a look of blood lust did form within his eyes. And not a moment too soon, either. As I watched, a small army of Trolls, three hundred strong, marched towards us, weapons gleaming in the light, looking unsuspecting of our ambush, but ready for battle.

(Ryan's POV)

I pivoted on my left foot while reciting the quick-summon spell that Eon taught me and the other Portal Masters. I stood in front of John with my armor now on, and I held my cloak out to either side of me to block the flickering of John's Sword, while giving him a look of anger. He looked at me for a moment, probably contemplating whether or not to try and cut me down. Then he thought better of it, deactivated his Sword, and summoned his armor and other weapons. The other Portal Masters had geared up, and I saw Maia lying on her stomach near the cliff edge, aiming a sniper rifle at the head Troll. The plan we had agreed on was simple. After the Trolls were in range, Maia would fire and take out the head Troll, and then proceed to give the rest of us sniper support as we jumped down and engaged the Trolls, and proceeded to "Kill them all!" as John had put it. I could feel the battle approaching. This would be fun.

(Bruce's POV)

I can't let my friends get hurt.

(Lauren's POV)

I'm ready.

(John's POV)

Let's shed some blood!

(Leah's POV)

I'm kinda scared...

(Maia's POV)

Ready... Aim... FIRE!

(Julia's POV)

_BANG!_ I jumped as Maia fired. As I landed on the ground with most of the other Portal Masters, I did a shoulder roll, stood up, and sprinted towards the Trolls, Thorn Dagger held reversed in my left hand, and my green-bladed and thorny Sword in my right, the tip pointed behind me. As I reached the Trolls, I jumped and spun, swinging my blades, killing everyone around me. But just as I landed, more and more swarmed towards me. I backflipped and sheathed my dagger, and, knowing I needed support, I then threw my arm towards them and yelled "STEALTH ELF!" Immediately, a green Portal opened up between me and the Trolls, and Stealth Elf jumped out and started slashing at every Troll in reach. She was a fearsome sight, with her blades flashing and her hair flowing. Everywhere she struck, blood spurted as Trolls fell. But I knew that now was not the time to sit back and relax. I jumped back into the battle, hacking, slashing, and cutting down foe after foe. Suddenly, over the ridge the Trolls had first appeared from, I saw five Troll Tanks. This just got serious. I would've summoned Zook, who's bazooka would've been extremely useful, but I felt completely drained after summoning Stealth Elf. I decided to just try and hold off the Trolls while everyone else thought of a way to deal with them.

(Maia's POV)

'_Son of a... Where did those tanks come from?!_' My first plan revision was that Julia could bring in Zook to blow them up, but I saw she had already summoned Stealth Elf, and I had just sent Drobot to help with crowd control, which meant Boomer wasn't an option, so I quickly came up with a Plan C. I turned to Leah, who was still on the platform, helping me provide cover with her bow. "Stay up here, and take out as many Trolls as possible," I said over the din of battle "I'm going after those blasted tanks!" Without another word, I jumped, turning my sniper into a Thompson M1A1. As soon as I landed, I started firing clip after clip into the Trolls ranks. I could tell that the tanks were a Plan B for the Trolls, and they were waiting to blow my friends to bits with their turrets. That wasn't going to happen. Screaming like a madwoman, I made my way to the first tank. When I reached it, I threw three grenades into the barrel of the tank, the last a second after the first two, then jumped away as as they blew up in rapid succession. The first 2 grenades would've blown up any shell that was inside, and the third would've destroyed the crew. I was satisfied to hear a startled cry from the Trolls, and then a scream and a _BOOM! _That was one tank down. Now... The rest.

(Bruce's POV)

As I saw the tanks coming over the ridge, I knew we were in some _deep_ schist. They were the biggest threat to my friends, so they had to die. But how to kill them? I didn't have grenades like Maia, and she couldn't get them all, so what do I do? '_Wait,_' I thought to myself, '_The treads!_' I raised my Sword, it's orange blade catching the light, and, bellowing, I charged towards the nearest Troll tank. I slashed at the treads, expecting nothing to happen, but the blade cut right through the metal mechanisms, rendering it immobile. The tank immediately turned it's gun barrel towards me, but a quick backhand with my gauntlet bent it so badly that any fired shell would explode inside. That was two tanks down, with three to go. I was very relieved to find that the Troll tanks had no secondary armament. As I looked at the tank that was to be my next target, I saw it was aiming... RIGHT AT LEAH! It was too far away for anyone to reach it in time, and she couldn't block a tank shell!

Suddenly, my mind went calm, and, using my Crystal, I _felt_ a large deposit of iron in the ground. Calling for it without knowing how, I had it fuse together into one massive form and come barreling towards the tank from underground. As I watched, the tank aimed, steadied itself, and... _BOOM!_ A massive column of iron had erupted out of the soil beneath the tank, shaped like a human fist. It caused the tank to soar into the air, going thousands of feet up. I saw it come hurtling back towards the ground near the edge of the Skyland, nearing 700 miles per hour... I also saw it miss the Skyland, and go plummeting down to the uncharted depths below. But now wasn't the time nor the place for guilt, and I shaped my iron column, the size of the Empire State building, into a giant sword, and gripped it with my Crystals energy. With a mighty cry, I jumped towards the last tanks, neatly arranged into a firing line with their front ends facing to the right, and swung down with my sword, cutting the tanks in half. Then I saw Trolls charging towards me, but they stopped when their puny brains finally registered the size of my sword, and the threat it posed. Then they ran in fear. This power was awesome!

(Leah's POV)

I saw Bruce take down the tank that was aiming at me, and I realized that he was one of the most powerful people on the battlefield. I almost felt bad for the Trolls in that tank, dropping down, not knowing when or if they'll ever stop. But I reminded myself that it was me or them, and if Bruce hadn't been here, it would've been me. I definitely couldn't stop a tank shell, and I made a mental note to thank him later. Although the tanks were inoperational, there was still an abundance of Trolls still running around. I knew that there was very little question in which Skylander I should summon. I held my hand out to the right, and simply said "Lightning Rod." A white Portal opened up, and Lightning Rod came out and started hurling bolts of lightning at the Trolls.

(Lauren's POV)

Again and again, I lashed out with my trident, impaling enemies all around. Most of the time, I caught the Trolls in the face, though sometimes I would only impale their armor, in which case I threw them by swinging my trident over my shoulder. I was a bit separated from the others, and I'm glad that they're keeping them busy. I'm tired as it is, because ice can be a bit heavy. But I know that I can't give up because, if I do, I'd be letting down everyone down. So, I dissolved my trident, activated my ice bladed Sword, and leaped at the nearest Troll. I cut him down with a single stroke of my blade. I was very glad that the Sword was so light and easy to swing, not to mention it's power. Again and again I struck, slaying Trolls and leaving bodies all around me. I felt unstoppable, and knew that there had to be a lot of adrenaline flowing through me to keep me going as long as I was. I knew that my strength was waning, so I prayed that this would be over soon.

(John's POV)

This was literally the most fun I've had in years. I kept sprinting through clusters of Trolls, spinning my Sword and cutting down squads of Trolls with each charge. Nothing stood in my path for long. The rush of battle, and the adrenaline pouring through me... It was exhilarating. Out of the three hundred Trolls, I probably slew one hundred and fifty. I was a devil aflame, power unmatched. I was almost disappointed when the battle had died down, and there was nothing left to kill. I stood still for a moment, my back to the place where the Trolls had come from, gasping for breath, and tried to step forward. I was stopped as something bit into the back of my ankle, digging deep into my flesh with razor teeth. I screamed in pain and anger, and turned around. As I did, I saw a short, green creature with small hands and legs, eyes on stalks, and huge, gnashing teeth. It was a Chompy. And, behind it, swarming down the mountainside, was a thousand more.

I quickly grabbed my Crystal in my hand, and made a huge wall of flame, twenty feet tall and one hundred long, right in the enemy's path. The Chompies in the front of their swarm ran head first into it, and quickly were consumed by it, turning to ash within seconds. I pushed the wall forward towards the remaining Chompies, running with it, destroying everything in my path. The army of Arkeyans came charging from behind me, and, as I turned, I was hit square in the forehead with the handle of a throwing knife, and then everything went black...

(Kelly's POV)

Jason and I had been flying around above the battle, watching. We figured the enemy didn't know about us yet, so we waited. We didn't want to expose ourselves too soon. As I watched the carnage ensuing, I spotted John lying face down in the dirt. An Arkeyan foot soldier stop above him, sword in hand, poised for the kill.

"Cover us from sight!" I yelled to Jason. He nodded, and cast a Dark cloud around us. I aimed at the Arkeyan, and summoned a beam of Light, melting the robot. A few of its' comrades noticed, and turned their sights to the sky. One of them pulled a crossbow off its' back, and fired. Jason and I easily evaded the bolt, but it exploded, catching us both off guard. Jason lost his focus, and our cloud dissipated. Before either of us could react, a swarm of cross bolts came flying at us. I managed to blast a few with my magic, but it was hopeless. I drew my sword.

"Follow me!" Cried Jason. He flew straight upwards, and I struggled to keep up. I only looked down once I thought we were out of the swarm's path. I really wish I hadn't. Guidance fins had opened on the bodies of the bolts, and thrusters fired from the bases of them. The arrowheads turned straight towards us. Great. Heat seeking, flying, probably explosive, arrows. Just great. Jason and I flew up even higher, but to no avail, we were still being tracked. Then Jason did something unexpected; he tucked in his wings, and dive bombed. Catching onto his plan, I dove in the opposite direction. The cloud of bolts split into half to follow us both. We came up on either side of the Arkeyan army, and soldiers fired even more bolts at us. We managed to evade most of them, though they turned around to pursue us. When Jason and I were just a few feet away from emac other, we banked up sharply, and Jason threw another cloud around us. The Dark disrupted our heat signatures, and the arrows started targeting the enemy. Explosions rang across the battlefield as the bolts struck their mark. Within seconds, the entire army was disintegrated. The Portal Masters and Skylanders cheered. We had won.

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**Hey guys. How's life treating you? Do you like this chapter? **

**NOTICE: I am currently on summer vacation in Tennessee. This may interrupt my updating. I AM NOT, AND I REPEAT, NOT, CALLING A HIATUS! In fact, I might even be able to update faster, as I have access to an iPad. Please review to let me know what you're thinking of this extra long chapter, the plot, my writing, and whatever else you want to review. Favorites and Follows are appreciated. Smell ya later!**

**-DeadPortal**


	16. The Investigation

**Author's Note: There will eventually be PM/PM pairings, and maybe some slight Spyro/Cynder. Not all PM's will be in a pairing.**

**Warning: This chapter will contain some graphic descriptions.**

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**The Investigation**

(Maia's POV)

John's head wound wasn't nearly as serious as mine. He was back on his feet within five minutes. I looked down at my left arm; I had landed wrong jumping off a tank, cutting it on a sharp rock. As I entered our temporary infirmary tent, I heard Whirlwind give me an over dramatic sigh.

"We really need to stop meeting like this." She teased as she repaired my cut. I laughed along with her for a moment, then a thought hit me, and I frowned. She cast a questioning look at me.

"Those Arkeyans... They've never had technology as advanced as those arrows, and when did they start randomly burning down villages and wildlife? And the Arkeyans have never worked with Trolls before, and no one has ever been able to control the Chompies, only plant the Pods. Someone's behind this." Whirlwind nodded. "Probably the same person who sent those Mages after our Crystals. The Darkness is obviously behind this, but we just fought Kaos. There's no way he's leading in this war. What other Dark warlords do we know of? None. I have a feeling Eon knows more than he's letting on." I left the tent and walked through the battlefield remnants. The air smelled like copper and oil. I saw something glinting, half buried in the mud, and knelt down to retrieve it. I had unearthed one of the Arkeyan arrows, probably a dud. The arrowhead was what had glinted, and I started cleaning it off. As I did, a strange symbol became apparent. It had been etched into the metal. I had never seen anything like it.

"Eon!" I called out to the sky. The old Portal Master appeared beside me. I held up the arrowhead. "I've never seen this symbol before, what is it?" I asked

"An Outlandish rune; I believe it translates to 'Power above all'. This is far worse than I thought."

"What do you mean?" I questioned.

"A long time ago, I was the mentor for many Portal Masters, one of which was my..." He faltered, his expression clouding. "My closest friend," he resumed, "or at least, he was. We had grown up together in Nattybumpo's manor, but while I was the dishwasher, my friend was the head battlemaster. Battlemaster Drake. Drake was only a few years older than I, and he always did have a jealous side to him. When I found out I was a Portal Master, he was extremely angry with me. A few years later, once he was introduced into our organization, Drake's anger was abated. By that time my skills had surpassed those of all my teachers, and I was appointed the headmaster of the Portal Master's Academy. Drake emerged as one of my most prominent students, easily mastering his combat, history, and Elemental classes. The only things he struggled with were public relations and teamwork. He severely lacked control, which led to episodes of anger. One fateful evening, I went to his dorm room to discuss his behavior. I arrived to a door ripped off of the hinges, and a strange glow coming from within. I rushed in to see dead Portal Masters scattering his room. He had slashed the throats of his room mates, and used their blood to write an Outland rune on his wall. Then he had broken their bodies and ground the bones into a fine powder and created a hexing ring to help with his ritual. He set the blood on fire, and used the released magic to infuse the Darkness into his body. He went mad, and with his newfound power, he destroyed the Portal Master's Academy, taking the name Draxx. He murdered hundreds. Blood stained the entire Skyland, and eventually it was completely destroyed to help forget the tragedy of that day. I was spared only because I was the one who showed him kindness, though I did manage to banish him to the Outlands, where he had stayed... Until now. He is the reason you and the other Portal Masters are here. He had launched an assault on my Citadel, catching me by surprise. The Doorways that had linked our worlds had been closed for billions of years. Starting with the one under my Citadel, Draxx has opened them all, sending his armies to attack Earth, and his Mages to recover your Crystals."

I nodded slowly, trying to take it all in. So we're fighting a Portal Master. But, this one had killed hundreds of others. Hundreds of others who were far more trained than us. Far more powerful. We're fighting a more powerful enemy, and we're outgunned, outmanned, underexpierienced. It's going to take us time to learn. Time we don't have. Draxx is probably planning his next move at this moment.

"I'll bet our attack surprised him. He wasn't expecting an offensive manuver, not this early. We just got here three days ago. We need to keep up our momentum. We need to attack him, directly. We have to find _him_."

(Two weeks later, back at Eon's Citadel, Aaron's POV)

We had settled into a training routine since our arrival. We had a single class each weekday, and Saturday and Sunday off. We had Combat class on Monday(which John excelled at), History on Tuesday(Ryan's favorite), Politics on Wednesday(My best class), Piloting on Thursday(Leah's great at that), and on Friday we had our Elemental studies(Julia was probably the most naturally attuned Portal Master). Kelly and Jason sat in on some classes, sometimes as an assistant teacher (since Eon has no body, it's kind of hard for him to teach Combat), but most of the time they just wanted a refresher course. Although we were all comfortable in our schedule, no one had completely forgotten about Draxx. I still used my magic to try Scrying him, Ryan used his Underworld contacts to help us search, Lauren had any able-bodied sea creatures searching, Leah had commissioned dragon air patrols, and Maia used satellite imaging to try and find something, anything, that would give us a clue. No one had found anything useful, but Draxx has still withheld from launching any more attacks on us, though there has been a recent increase in kidnappings, but there was nothing linking them to Draxx.

Lost in my thoughts, I had started walking around aimlessly. I admired the large oak trees, the roses bushes, the birds fluttering through the air. I can seriously understand why there were so many people on Earth trying to preserve the beauty of nature. It's funny; we're officially at war, yet everything seems so peaceful. I sat down under a birch tree, and meditated. I listened to the birds chirping, the trees rustling, the squirrels running on the branches. I heard some rustling on the ground, and opened my eyes as Julia came around a bend in the path. She seemed surprised to see me.

"Oh, hi, Aaron, umm... Sir." Sir? No way. Not happening.

"Don't call me sir," I said, "you must refer to me as Lord Aaron." Admittedly, I am a bit shy around people, but I usually try to keep the conversation away from me, by making jokes. The look of confusion on Julia's face made me burst out laughing. "I'm kidding! Just don't call me sir." I said through fits of laughter. Julia didn't think it was that funny, which caused me to burst out laughing even harder. It was then that I heard something that sounded like engines. I jumped to my feet, drawing my wand and staff, but it was only Drobot descending from the sky. He landed a few feet away, bowing.

"Master Aaron, Mistress Julia. I apologize for this interruption, but Mistress Maia requests an audience with you." He said, motioning at me. Wait, me? Maia wants to see me? I gulped. I was especially nervous around Maia. But, knowing it was probably important, I recited a quick spell, and disappeared in a flash.

(Maia's Workshop, Maia's POV)

I heard a loud POP behind me and spun, grabbing the closest thing to me, a rather large wrench. Mid spin, I noticed it was Aaron, and my foot landed on a screwdriver as I tried to land. My foot rolled off the screwdriver and I stumbled backwards as I started to fall. Aaron caught my hand. My. Hand. I think I started blushing as he pulled me back to my feet. Hopefully my face was dirty enough to hide it.

"Crap, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. Are you okay? Did I hurt you?" By this point, my mind was a mush. Maybe I had a wee bit of a crush on my leader. Maybe. Wait, he's talking to me.

"Umm, yeah, I'm fine, thanks, sorry for trying to umm, kill you." I said with a small laugh. Ugh, could I be any more awkward? Probably, I thought with a grimace. Aaron and I seemed to notice at the same time that we're still holding hands. We both tore our hands away, not looking directly at each other.

"So, you wanted to see me?" He repeated.

"Yeah," I said, turning to my computer. Aaron stood behind me. I almost wish he wouldn't. "I was studying the Outlands today, and it seemed to look almost like the Darkness out there was... Flowing. I started studying the flow patterns, and it looks like a cyclone almost, with the eye being somewhere in this area." I said, pulling up a live feed of what seemed to be the center of spiraling clouds. As we watched, purple lightning streaked through the clouds suddenly, causing me to flinch. "That hasn't happened before. That can't be good. We need to investigate that location, but no one will fly us out there.

"So that means..."

"We'll have to fly ourselves."

"How?"

I motioned for him to follow me. We stepped out onto the balcony of my workshop in the Keep, and I summoned a Portal for us. We stepped through to Junkyard Isles, and we were immediately greeted by the sight and sound of Mabu working on an airship. "I figured we'd need our own at some point. And don't worry, I paid these guys to haul it in and work on it. It's an old pirate ship that I've taken the liberty of renovating. We're talking an eight hundred CC engine, atomic thrusters, state of the art navigation and defense technology. She's got it all. I call her the _Innovater._"

(Aaron's POV)

The ship was one hundred meters long, and around seventy tall. The hull was a pearlescent white, with a sky blue main sail. The masthead was a giant, bronze Phoenix with its' wings tucked in, staring straight ahead. She had gold trimming along the railings, which were made of a dark, earthy brown wood. And the engine... Oh the engine; it was a beautiful pair of silver dragon wings, glittering in the light. I felt a peculiar warmth, and looked down. My dragon ring almost seemed to be glowing, and the amethyst eye flashed.

"She's a beautiful ship," I said unthinking, "just like her captain." Maia gave me the weirdest look, her hazel eyes unreadable. Then, she laughed, and I mentally kicked myself. Hard.

"At least someone thinks so." She said between bursts of laughter.

"What do you mean?" I asked, and her expression darkened.

"My life was rough even from early on. When I was about seven, my older and only sister, who I idolized, disappeared. Vanished. Afterwards, I started rebelling more because I was so angry at her for leaving me. My childish brain actually thought that if I caused enough trouble, she'd come back, if only to tell me to knock it off. My parents sent me to an all-girls boarding school so I could learn 'how to be a proper lady'. The headmistress tried forcing me into a dress, heels, the works. It never ended well for either of us, so she stopped trying. She called me a hopeless cause, and the other girls outcastes me, calling me a dirty, ugly, hopeless slob. I've never been able to trust people since." She was on the verge of tears, so I stepped forward and hugged her. She cried silently on my shoulder for a while, and tears of my own fell into her hair. Eventually, she was felling better, so I let her go.

"Thank you Aaron," she said, "you're an amazing person." One of the Mabu called over that all the renovations were through, and the _Innovater_ was ready for her maiden voyage. "Go gather the others while I make sure she's fully ready." And with that, she kissed me on the cheek and sprinted off.

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**So... First romance scene I've ever written and published. What do you guys think about my maiden voyage into romance? Not sure if these two will be a real pairing, that all depends on you, the readers/reviewers. And before you get any bright ideas, not all my pairings will be elemental opposites. Please review, it truly does make my day. Let me know if you guys want to see these two as an official couple, or if you think my writing needs work/downright sucks. Heck, flame if you want. I just want feedback from you guys.**

**-DeadPortal-**


	17. The Infiltration

**The Infiltration**

(Bruce's POV)

I walked into the mess hall, which was huge. The walls were golden, littered with light fixtures. The floor was a dark oak wood, along with the large dining table. Picking up a plate, I walked down the buffet table, picking up three slices of pepperoni pizza, a hamburger, and two cans of Dr. Pepper. I sat down at the table with the rest of the Portal Masters. Aaron sat at the head, with Maia on his right. The two were talking quietly and studying Maia's laptop (she had actually rigged the ship with wi-fi). The rest were scattered around the long table, chatting and joking around. As I dug into my food, I noticed the underlying tension on everyone's face. We had crossed into the Outlands just under a week ago. We were below deck because it was pitch black outside, as we were surrounded by the Darkness. Even Jason won't chance standing outside for very long, fearing infection. Maia had assured us that she and Kelly had triple checked every defense measure, but we were all still uneasy. Maia and Aaron stood in unison, and I could've sworn I saw their hands untangle from each other.

"Alright, first off, all security measures are running at full capacity." Maia stated. "Secondly, we have roughly three hours until we reach the apex of the storm. So eat, check your weapons, and train." We nodded, and Jason stood.

"I've been looking through some old textbooks of mine, and I found an enchantment that will help us avoid infection and corruption, as well as help us blend in a little." After those announcements, we finished eating and headed to our rooms.

As I opened my door, the lights came on, illuminating my small bed, a tiny desk with a few crystals displayed on top, and my closet. As I flipped a switch next to the door though, every thing changed. My desk slid into the flooring, my bed flipped on its floor panel to reveal a small pad of stone, and out of musy closet came an armor rack. My back wall slid into the ground, revealing a training room. It had weights, punching bags, and training dummies. I slid my gauntlets on and picked up my hammer, letting it rest on my shoulder. Then I walked over and stepped onto the stone platform, feeling it beneath my feet. I wanted so badly to control the stone, morph it to my will, but I couldn't. Eon had warned us that while we were away from the Core, we should not use any of our Crystals unless it was an absolute emergency. We all needed to build up our strength, not only physically, but with our Elements.

We're all naturally attuned to our respective Element, but we're humans, so we have a very hard time harnessing our inner magic. Jason and Kelly didn't have that problem because, obviously, they aren't humans. But if this recon mission of ours turns violent, i'm not sure how we'll fare. But hopefully, the center of this storm is something that doesn't want to kill us. Right.

I sat down on the foot of my bed, setting down my weapons. Even our Elemental Swords won't do us much good. Without any magic powering them, they were just swords. I unhooked mine from my belt and looked down at the handle. It was about a foot long, made of a sand colored metal with golden accents. I hit the button on the neck of the hilt, and the blade sprang forth. Perfectly balanced. I took a few slow swings with it as I stood up, getting a feel for it. Before we left the Citadel, I had tested it out while it was powered. Whenever I hit an enemy with it, my Crystal would send a pulse of energy through the blade, causing said enemy to turn to stone. I also learned that stone enemies shattered easily when punched in the face with gauntlets or smashed over the head with a war hammer. I smiled at the thought.

"Guys, meet up by the hatch... We're here." Maia's voice rang out over the intercom. I slipped on my armor, and slipped my hammer through the loop of leather on my waist.

(Lauren's POV)

We met up by the hatch that led to the deck. Aaron looked around at us, and then spoke with a shaky voice.

"I'm not going to lie; we know almost nothing, but our outer cameras and thermal scans picked up on a... A fortress. There's a huge fortress out there, and we have no idea who or what is in there. Anyone who wishes to stay behind may do so." No one raised their hand. Aaron looked at each of us individually, then nodded. Jason stepped up beside him.

"We can't head out there without any sort of protection. Darkness can get into the mind of any being, corrupting and twisting their thoughts, bending them to its will. If we become exposed, the Darkness could infect any of us. Even me." He said. I gulped. That was reassuring. Sure, let's just head out on the hope that his spell holds and we don't wind up trying to kill each other. And we don't know what's inside the fort, assuming we make it in there alive and un-corrupted. This mission was getting better by the minute. Jason cast a protection spell over us, and we stepped outside. I couldn't see a thing. It was so cold outside, but it wasn't the normal type of cold. It's the type of spine chilling cold that always accompanies evil things. The kind of cold that you get from sleeping in a haunted house. The kind of cold that makes you fear for your life. I'll be the first to admit it; I'm afraid. Jason cast another spell to help us see. It only helped a little. We made our way through a graveyard, and stopped at the gate of the outer wall. It was made of huge bricks of black stone, and the door was steel.

"We could knock," said John in a sarcastic tone.

"I'll go check for guards." Ryan stated. He then proceeded to scale the wall. When he reached the top, he held up two fingers and pointed downwards. Then he held up four fingers and pointed into the distance. Two guards at the front gate, and four more at the fort entrance. He then looked at Aaron and shrugged, asking for orders. Aaron held up two fingers, pointed down, drew a line across his throat, and pointed at the gate. Execute the two guards and open the gate. Ryan nodded, and leapt down to the other side. A few seconds later, the metal door opened slightly, allowing us just enough room to move through. I looked to the side, and saw two dead Trolls, each with a hole in its head. Ryan pointed to four more guards in the distance, and shrugged. They seemed to be sitting around a small wooden table, playing a card game. I pointed at Ryan, then myself, moving my arms to point at the walls, then closing in on the guards with a slow arc. He nodded and went left, and I trailed along the right wall. Once we were in position, we dashed out from the shadows and stabbed the guards in the back. They slumped over onto their table. The other Portal Masters met up with us. Leah put her ear to the door, trying to hear anything within. She shook her head, and we slowly opened the door. We came upon a long hallway illuminated by oil lamps. The walls were black marble, and a long, blood red carpet ran the length of the hall.

"This is not good. There's guards outside, but what were they protecting? I smell a trap guys. I hate to say it, but I smell Draxx." I said. We walked to the end of the hallway with grim determination. Aaron threw the door open, and we walked into a dark room. Suddenly, very bright lights came on. I heard a crowd cheering. A metal cage dropped around us, and Trolls swarmed us as a man's voice called out

"Let's see what these so-called heroes can do without their precious Eon! Bring on the first wave!"


	18. Welcome to the Outlands

**Welcome to the Outlands**

(Draxx's POV)

I sat towards the back of the stands, cloaked in shadow, watching the fight. As the arena master called for a new wave, I couldn't help but notice how easily the Portal Masters were dispatching their foes. They were all great fighters on their own, I admitted to myself. These humans were almost... Impressive. Almost. They did take out my entire army, I'll give them that, but I expected nothing less. It was only basic Arkeyan warriors, Trolls, and Chompies. They made a mistake in coming here. To the Outlands. With only a few weeks of training. I could kill any of the humans with a snap of my fingers. The winged ones wouldn't be much more difficult. But, I reminded myself, the Master wanted them alive. Admittedly, I wanted them kept alive too, at least one of them. I am running low on test subjects. I looked at the Portal Master apprentices and began studying them. Which would be the most useful to me? Which could I trap easiest? The Mabu I have already kidnapped and experimented on turned out to be somewhat... Volatile. Because they were undisciplined, they attacked anything and everything, even my own troops. The Evilized Mabu were absolute berserkers. Uncontrollable, but unstoppable. My experiments on Mabu need to halt until I can get some of the Master's troops into this world. I need one of these Portal Master apprentices. I believe they would keep their sanity through the corruption. But which would be most useful to me? Then I saw the one. A male. He looked to be intelligent and good in a fight. But, he is too intelligent, he would not fall for most traps. But, as the saying goes, every hero has their flaw, so what's his? Then I saw the way he went to defend one of the others. He's protective. All that power, all that skill, wasted on defending something as lowly as humans. The man would do very nicely during corruption, because his element is already susceptible to the Darkness. I would use one of those pathetic humans to bait him. To make him come and rescue his damsel in distress. Then he would be mine, and I would also have the bait to use in my experiments as well. The Master's plan would come along smoothly, and so would mine. The Master and I will finally bring peace and order to these warring planets. We will finally have control over it all. As I watched the Portal Masters slaughter another wave, I found myself smirking at the foolish arena master under my hood, and decided to help him out.

(Julia's POV)

I stood there, catching my breath. We had been fighting for at least an hour straight by now. When I thought it couldn't get any worse, it did. A huge wall of solidified Darkness appeared in the arena, separating us from each other. I hit the wall with my Mace, nothing happened. And now we're being swarmed by Arkeyan robots. Great. Three swordsmen entered my confinement, weapons drawn, coming at me from the front and each side. I used a small amount of magic to transform my Mace into an actual rose, and stuck it in my pocket, drawing my sword and dagger. They charged and I crouched, spinning my sword overhead, decapitating the ones on the side. Then I leapt forward, impaling the Arkeyan in front of me by shoving my dagger in its left eye. Then I ran my sword through its chest and heaved, tossing it over my shoulder. It clattered against the wall and landed in a jumbled heap. I glanced back to the entrance. We're trapped under a huge, metal dome cage. Whenever an enemy approached, a small section of the cage opened for a second or two to let them in. That was my chance. I spotted five more swordsmen heading towards me. Just as the door opened, I jumped forward, my shoulder crashing into the soldier's chest-plate, sending us sprawling. I quickly stabbed the Arkeyan in the head, then rolled out of the way of a downward stab by another. Alarm bells started to blare, and even more soldiers swarmed towards me. At least twenty started charging towards me from both sides, and large glass panels slid up around the stands to protect the audience. I did the only thing I could think of; I started climbing. I reached a small platform at the top of the cage and looked around. Arkeyans were approaching from every side.

"Guys, cover me!" I screamed. Seconds later, arrows, bullets, Light rays, and Dark energy started ripping through the enemy ranks. But it wasn't enough. They just kept coming. I didn't know what to do. My friends were still trapped inside the cage, and I was outside. There was only one thing I could do. I knelt down, placing one hand on the cage, and the other on my Crystal. I closed my eyes and concentrated, blocking out everything. My hand started to glow a deep, emerald green, then the glow spread over every bar of the cage. Metal shifted to plant, each bar turning into a vine. The last thing I remembered was the vine giving from the weight on top of it, and the sensation of falling as I watched countless Arkeyans fall on top of me, then everything went dark...

(Aaron's POV)

I watched as the metal turned to vine. I watched as it collapsed. She seemed to fall in slow motion, her hair streaming, her body going limp. Too late, I drew my wand. Too late, I cast the knock back spell. Just half a second too late. Too late, I watched as my spell hit maybe ten Arkeyans, but another fifty fell on top of her. Too late. It was my fault. I could only imagine her body being crushed under the oppressive weight. All because I wasn't fast enough. Because I was too late...

(John's POV)

A silence fell over the room. Even the alarms stopped. Everything was still. Most of the Arkeyans were crushed under the weight of the others. Some impaled themselves on their own swords. One survivor tried to regain his footing on the pile of scraps.

I snapped.

I threw myself forward with a huge column of flame. I stabbed the Arkeyan's chest midair, taking him with me. My sword sunk into the glass barrier in front of the man I knew to be Draxx, and I hung by my sword hilt, feet placed against the glass. I stared at his face, shadowed by his hood.

"YOU! WILL! PAY!" I screamed in rage. I kicked off of the wall, pivoting on my sword handle, and stretched out my legs as I came flying back towards him. As soon as I made contact with the Arkeyan's chest plate, the glass shattered. I flew forward, kicking the robotic corpse of my blade, landing on my feet. Draxx had already taken off, running down a long hallway, and I followed in hot pursuit.

(Kelly's POV)

"Maia, Aaron, Lauren, come with me!" I commanded, running towards the shattered glass wall. Aaron stayed put, staring in horror at the pile of robots. His eyes watered, and his legs shook. He dropped his wand and fell to his knees, oblivious to everyone, just staring. The tears flowed freely from his eyes now. He's blaming himself.

"Jason, you come instead," I said softly. He nodded, and we dashed out of the arena. We were met by the sight of corpses. Everywhere. Trolls, Cyclops, Arkeyans. All dead. All scorched.

John.

I sprinted as fast as I could, trying to ignore the smell of blood that permeated the air. We came upon a small door, probably the entrance of a tower. Jason kicked the door in, and we were greeted by the sight of a very brutal, very one-sided fistfight between John and a Goliath Drow. John's fists blazed as he landed blow after blow on the enemy that stood at about twice his height. The Goliath was covered in burns, and openly bled in multiple places. His knees buckled and he collapsed to the ground. John jumped on his chest and rained down blow after fiery blow on the Goliath's head, not stopping until he broke the poor creatures skull. He stood over his kill, panting heavily. I took a tentative step forward and John spun to face me, drawing his sword. It took him a second to recognize us, then he sheathed his sword, though his hands still blazed.

"John?"

"Yeah?"

"Your hands are on fire."

"Yeah. Arkeyan oil is very flammable, and takes a while to burn up."

He held his hands out to Lauren, and she doused them, revealing two very not roasted fists. He looked at his hands and laughed like a child who had just discovered something about his favorite toy. "I'm fire proof!"

(Bruce's POV)

I swung with my hammer again, knocking more bodies off the pile that crushed my team mate. The good news is that we haven't seen any blood. The bad news is there's so much oil on the floor, we probably wouldn't even be able to identify it if there was. Leah had summoned Whirlwind, and she didn't want to risk using any more magic. So while I tried to knock the bodies away, she used her pocket knife to carve a crude spear using wood from a smashed wall. I created a makeshift spearhead by bending Arkeyan metal scraps with my gauntlets. I smashed the pile again, and uncovered Julia's body. She had cuts all over, she was bleeding profusely, and probably had more than a few broken bones. And she was pale. Deathly pale. Aaron let lose a piteous moan, filled with dread and sorrow. Feeling bad for him, I gave him a light hit on the head, knocking him unconscious. Ryan and Whirlwind crouched over Julia, assessing her wounds. Ryan held two fingers to the side of her neck.

"She's alive. Barely." He lifted her Crystal. It was a brilliant jade color, and it flashed, catching the light. He set it back on her chest gingerly, then placed her hand on it. There was a sudden burst of green light, and everyone jumped away. The vines that Julia had created came and wrapped around her body, encasing her completely.

"What happened?" I asked.

"This is amazing!" Whirlwind said. "The Crystal sensed the danger its' host is in, and created a healing cocoon. But she must've emptied it with that spell, surely. Unless..." Her voice trailed off.

"Unless?" I asked. Her eyes widened. "Unless?" I persisted

"Unless she didn't use her Crystal. She tapped into the magic inside her own body! Quick, we need to get her to the Falling Forets. She needs Ambrosia." I lifted Julia up gently, and ran as we called for the others.

* * *

**Hey guys, it's Dead. I wasn't originally planning on hurting Julia, it just came to me as I was writing the scene.**

** So... John... that part wasn't planned either. It just came to me. I mean, he controls Fire. He needed to have a moment of ferocity and power. That poor Goliath...**


	19. Home? (Part 1)

**Hey guys. I'm SO sorry that I haven't updated in a while, but this chapter is super long (i'm already at 10,000 words!). I decided to break it up into smaller parts, and give you guys some updates as I go along. This chapter will probably have three parts to it. I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

**Home? **

**(Part 1)**

(Outlands Arena, Aaron's POV)

Just keep running. Keep. Running. Don't stop. Don't think. I rocketed down the long, poorly lit corridor. The image of Julia's broken, mangled body flashed through my mind. I stumbled and tripped over a crack in the stone floor. Luckily, Maia appeared by my side and caught my arm, holding me up. I nodded my thanks, and we took off again with the rest of the Portal Masters. I found myself in the lead again. A Troll jumped at me from a doorway on the left, and I smashed him in the head with my staff, running past the corpse as it slumped to the ground. We have to get out of here. Away from Draxx. Away from the Darkness. We were stupid to come out here. I dashed through the final hallway, the front door in sight. I burst through it and was immediately greeted by the sight of Arkeyan warriors.

I dropped to my knees, skinning them as I slid forward across the rough stone. Gunfire erupted over my head as Maia engaged the enemy. Her bullets ripped through their feeble charge, and as she stopped to reload, Lauren and Leah leapt forward, Lauren jabbing with her trident, Leah slashing and spinning with a makeshift spear. When we were surrounded only by scraps, we took off again towards our ship, only Leah stopping to pick up a quiver of arrows and a better spear, as hers was already cracked. We boarded the Innovater and while the others prepared for takeoff, I quietly retreated to my quarters. I opened the door; everything seemed normal. I stripped out of my armor, leaving me in jeans and a t-shirt, and sat down in the middle of the floor in a meditation pose.

"Eon." I said aloud. The great Portal Master's spirit materialized in front of me.

"Something troubles you, young Portal Master. What is it?" He asked, worried.

"I feel like Julia's injuries are my fault, but something is really confusing me too. Her Crystal, it acted on its own, without her telling it what to do. How is that possible?" Eon looked very hesitant.

"These Elemental Crystals you possess, there is more to them than it may seem. The previous owners were very... attached to them. Be prepared, you are about to have some unexpected company." He said, and disappeared. The intercom buzzed to life.

"Guys, get up here."

(Maia's POV)

I looked down at the radar once again. It showed nine flagships, along with a hundred copters. I couldn't make any visual contact, the Darkness saw to that. The others arrived on the top deck as the wind started to pick up.

"We got nine flagships in hot pursuit, and at least a hundred choppers closing in with them! Get to the guns!" I cried over the storm, and flipped a switch. Five mounted guns popped up from the deck on either side of the ship, and everyone except Julia and Ryan, who were below, jumped on one. I set the autopilot to Eon's Citadel, and ran over to a gun. I got myself ready just as the first helicopters arrived. Machine gun fire erupted from our guns as Draxx's forces attempted to hit us with their cannons. As they divebombed us again and again, we pushed them back more and more. I started to get a bit of hope that we would make it through.

Two things happened after that. One, Arkeyans started jumping from their craft to land on our ship and second, the flagships finally caught up with us. Nine giant warships, armed all over with machine guns, rockets, cannons, everything imaginable. We were surrounded on all sides and being boarded. While in the Outlands. This was just beautiful.

"Attention Portal Master apprentices. You can not escape. You can not win. We have you outgunned, outmanned, and out-experienced. The only way you will escape this with your life is to surrender. Drop your weapons and enchantments. Join the Darkness, and live. Otherwise, you die. You have two minutes to decide." I wasn't sure if that was Draxx himself or one of his lieutenants, but either way we were boxed in. Literally. The flagships surrounded us on all sides. I heard metallic footsteps behind me, and turned around to find a full squadron of Arkeyans with broadswords drawn.

"Off the guns. Weapons down." The leader said. I let go of the gun and slowly unslung my assault rifle, setting it at my feet. I was trying desperately to figure a way out of this. Kelly was on my right, scanning the scene unfolding around us.

"Jason!" She cried in a wavering voice. She sounded scared. I've known her for at least a month by now and i've never seen her scared. Under the floodlights on the ships around us, I saw her eyes spark mischievously. I caught her eye, and made a small show of backing up to the railing and setting my elbow on the gun. She gave me a small nod.

"Weapons, on the ground! Your two minutes are up, we're taking you prisoner!" The commander yelled. Kelly slowly unsheathed her blade and set it on the ground. I noticed that the end of the hilt lay on the toe of her boot. She slowly, dramatically, raised her hands above her hand. Her plan was now obvious to me. I took a step back as she unfurled and flapped her wings in one huge stroke, the Arkeyans fell on their backs because of the sheer intensity of the blast. As she rose into the sky, she kicked her foot out and sent her sword flying at Jason. He caught it in his left hand, his own blade in his right, and took off as well.

"Jason, flagships! I'm going after those copters! Aaron, defend the ship from the cannons! Everyone else, fight the invaders, and shoot down as many suckers as you can!" Kelly and Jason flew off as the Arkeyans shakily rose to their feet.

"Duck!" I yelled. I turned and grabbed the handles of the machine gun behind me. Then I placed my foot on the railing and kicked off. I swung out over the edge of the ship, over the bottomless void below me, and pulled the trigger. I managed to hit two of the cannons on the enemy ship, and as I came around the Arkeyans onboard were ripped apart by the high caliber rounds of the gun. About half of them either crumpled or exploded. I let go of the gun as I came back over the ship, flew backwards, and landed in a crouch. Then I shoulder-rolled forward and grabbed my rifle, spinning and spraying into the crowd advancing on me. When my clip ran out, I meleed the closest Arkeyan with my stock, and whipped my Desert Eagle from a hidden holster in the seam of my right pants leg. Four bullets later, there wasn't a single Arkeyan left standing. The others stood up, wide eyed and staring at me.

"Back on the guns!" I commanded, and dashed back to my controls. Someone hit the fuselage of the flagship on our right, and it caught fire and started to plummet downwards. But as I watched, the cockpit viewport shattered outward, and a figure in a black cloak came flying at us, guided by wind. Black cloak. Light blue trim. Winds.

Oh my God.

The Mages.

The night after I snapped out of my coma we had a feast, and we all recounted our tale of our battle against the Mages we had encountered. We knew they were powerful, but we also assumed they were dead. Apparently not. I heard Leah cry out to the others, and the gunfire stopped as they all turned to the approaching threat. I steered us towards the falling gunship, and joined the others on deck.

"Duct tape?" Leah asked. I pulled a roll out of my leg pocket and handed it to her, my eyes never leaving the Mage. She folded her fan out and taped it to the end of the spear that she took back at the arena fortress. I chuckled a bit as she handed the roll back, then checked the ammo in my rifle. I had a full twenty rounds in this mag, but only one more on my body. I checked my Eagle. Only ten rounds left. I flipped my rifle onto semi-automatic and holstered my Eagle just as the Air Mage landed. We all raised our weapons.

"Greetings Leah, you're looking well." He said in a silky tone, his dark eyes glittering.

"Save it, and surrender. There's seven of us, and only one of you." She growled. He simply chuckled. His laugh was continued by someone behind us. I spun around to see the other seven Mages land.

The Fire Mage stepped forward a pace, kicking a dead Arkeyan out of the way. "Surrender. That's the only way you live," she snarled. I raised my rifle at her.

"I wouldn't do that, not with that puny amount of ammunition you have," Tech said. I growled, looking around, trying to figure a way out. Jason and Kelly were nowhere to be seen. They could've been captured. Only one flagship remained in the air. It was too far away to jump onto. We were surrounded on all sides. And outnumbered. We had no hope for reinforcements. There's a Portal below deck, but with the Mages blocking us off, we can't go anywhere. Just then, I remembered something. The Portal is sitting on metal. Metal is a great conductor. The ship lurched a bit, and I pretended to stumble and fall to my knees. My palm came to rest on a screw. I immediately went to work. My conscious shifted into the Crystal, and I sent a trail of energy down the screw.

The screw touched a metal plate, so I sent energy into that. That plate connected to the outer wall of the hull, and so did the energy. The hull connected to the floor below us. The floor was metal. I sent the energy along that, and finally found the Portal. I charged it up and summoned Drobot, Trigger Happy, Boomer, and Drill Sergeant. After that, my Crystal was pretty well drained. I was brought back to my present situation when I felt the Tech Mage press the barrel of his shotgun to my temple. I looked at him, still in Crystal sight, everything a crystalline, fractured yellow, with the Tech Mage himself featureless yet glowing. He placed the barrel right in the middle of my forehead.

"Up. I don't know what kind of magic you're doing right now, but you're done. Stand up before I scatter your brains all over this place!" He yelled, cocking his shotgun. I stood up slowly, looking him dead in the eye. When I reached my full height, he only had about an inch and a half of height over me. I never dropped his gaze as I said "Do it." He yelled and pulled the trigger.

Click. Nothing happened. My Crystal's energy finally wore out after engaging the safety on his gun. The door that led below burst open. There stood the four Skylanders I had summoned. Everything was quiet for half a second. Then I took the barrel of the Mage's shotgun and shoved backwards, the butt hitting him in the face. Then the real battle began.

I wrenched the shotgun from Tech's hands and fired at the Life Mage. He ducked under the blast and rolled out of sight. Tech charged me again, and I threw the gun over his head, off the ship. When he got close enough to me I kicked him square in the chest, sending him flying backwards. I turned just in time to see Water's bident coming straight for me. I dropped into a crouch and spun, kicking his feet out from under him. He landed on his back as I pulled my Sword hilt from my boot. I hit the button as I swung downward. He managed to raise his bident and caught my blade in the middle of the handle. He rolled out of the way as Undead jabbed at me with her dagger. I stepped back and jabbed in return. She ducked under and grabbed my arm, pulling me forward. As she went to step forward and stab me, an arrow ripped through the side of her throat, going straight through. Her eyes widened, and her hands flew to her throat, which gushed blood. Her body convulsed, and she tried to speak. But her body turned to ash, and was scattered in the breeze. I could only stand in shock for a minute, mortified by what I just witnessed. Killing Trolls was one thing. Arkeyans were just machines, and could be repaired. But this Mage, she was at least somewhat human. That was the first time I witnessed someone die. My knees shook, and I fell. I lay there, crumpled on the ground, quivering.

(Aaron's POV)

I saw Maia fall just after she dispatched the Undead Mage. Is she hurt? I wanted to run over there, but I was in a sword lock with the Fire Mage. She pushed against me with all her strength, edging her blazing blade closer and closer to my throat. The heat was becoming unbearable, my hair was starting to singe. then, out of the crowd of combatants, Trigger Happy came toward me yelling "BANZAI!" He spewed coins from his golden guns, and the Mage was forced to jump on the rail to avoid the barrage. She went to leap, but I cast a spell that threw her off the side of the ship. I looked over at Maia, she still lay curled in a fetal position. The Tech Mage lumbered over to her, his left arm across his chest while his right gripped a very, very large wrench. Maia had no idea he was there, for her eyes were closed. I ran at him screaming, but he merely hit me in the jaw with his wrench. The force was strong enough to not only send me flying but also shatter my jaw. Pain exploded across my jaw, and I tasted blood. A lot of blood. My head hit the deck as I finally came down, and I rolled a good few feet, stopped by the guard rail. I saw Draxx's flagship, sitting there, watching. The last thing I heard before I blacked out was the soft, steady rhythm of wings flying over me.

(Jason's POV)

"ENOUGH!" I roared over the din of battle. Everything stopped as I hovered over the ship, Dark Spyro and Kelly by my side. I outstretched my hand, and pure Dark tendrils leaked from my palm, ensnaring the closest Mage. By his green accents, I guessed he was Life.

"**Foul being, assassin of night, I destroy your soul with unholy might! **

**SCATEROUS SOULOUS!**"

The Mages opened fire on me as I cast the spell, throwing everything they had. Before anything hit me, it was consumed in Light. They watched in horror as the Life Mage, screaming in pure agony, exploded into particles of green and black light. Everything was silent again, but I felt drained. I looked over to Dark Spyro and nodded. He roared and dive-bombed the remaining enemies, tearing them apart with tooth-and-claw ferocity. Quite literally. When the remaining Mages were dispatched and Aaron lay below being tended to by Whirlwind, Maia shakily took the helm and started pursuing the fleeing Draxx. Some fearless Portal Master he was. We tailed him for at least an hour before we finally made it out of the Darkness. Once we were out, Maia accelerated to attack speed, but a giant black vortex appeared in front of Draxx's ship, and he was gone.

"DAMMIT!" Maia cursed, slamming her fist down on the console. "We had him! We were so close to ending it!" she ranted. I took a step back and looked her over. Her hair was a mess, and she had dark bags under her eyes. During our trip, there had been nights she had refused to sleep because she was worried about navigating. I could tell that her stress level was rising fast and at her breaking point. I placed a light hand on her shoulder. Her eyes snapped over to meet mine.

"What?!" she snapped.

"You need rest," I said gently, "we all do. Get Drobot up here to navigate, then go down and check on Aaron. We'll wake you once we get to the Ambrosia farms."

"Make me." She snapped, acting like a child. I took my hand off her shoulder and formed an inky black cloud above my palm. She growled and stomped off like a six year old. I looked over at the Arkeyan wreckage still on deck. Ok, a very skilled, capable, and dangerous six year old, but a six year old nonetheless.

(Ryan's POV)

I worked furiously to stabilize Aaron. His jaw was completely shattered, three ribs were broken, and he had a nasty gash along his chest. The Fire Mage must've gotten a blow on him after all. The first thing I did was clean his cut, then cauterized it and stitched it shut. After that, I set to work mending his jaw. Using Undead magic, I forced the bone to meld together. He would be sore for sure, but at least this way he might be able to talk and eat again. Now, the ribs... I hovered my hand above his chest. His bone structure glowed against his skin. Two broken ribs on the right side, one on the left. I felt truly bad for him; there was nothing I could do. There's too many organs in the way to mend the bone, so all I could do was set his chest and make him comfortable. With my work done, I retrieved a chair and set it beside Aaron's cot. My breathing slowed, as did my pulse. Using magic takes a lot out of you. The door opened: it was Maia.

"How is he?" She asked, her brow furrowing as she noticed that he was unconscious still.

"He'll live, but he's going to be in a lot of pain when he wakes up." She looked like she wanted to say something. I read her body language; she leaned against the doorway, biting her bottom lip, her hands fidgeting with a bunch of what looked like paperclips and rubber bands. When a small helicopter flew across the room, I chuckled and stood up.

"What?" She questioned. I walked over to the medicine cabinet and retrieved a bottle of extremely strong pain relievers, tossing them to her.

"You watch over him for a bit, i've got something to tend to. If he wakes up, give him one of those Morphine and then call me." I looked over at Julia, still cocooned in vines. "If anything happens with Julia, get Kelly. Since i'm her elemental opposite, I don't want to risk working on her." Maia nodded, and I walked back to my room.

(Maia's POV)

As Ryan left, I slowly shrunk down in the chair he had abandoned. I looked over Aaron, my breath shaking. His shirt had been removed so his wounds could be treated, and I shuddered at the sight of the scar that snaked from under his right collarbone all the way to his left side, barely angling enough to miss his heart. I wasn't exactly sure how he got that, but I had little doubt it came from him trying to get over to me when I panicked. I laced my hand in his; we've been dating for about a week now. His hand twitched, and he stirred, looking over to me with his violet eyes.

"Maia?" He asked, his voice weak.

"Yeah, it's me." I said, reaching for the Morphine tablets. His eyes opened fully and he squeezed my hand.

"Not yet, I won't be up long. But I need to ask you something."

"What is it?" I asked, knowing the answer and dreading it.

"What did she say to you before she disappeared?" I gulped. I knew this was coming.

"She said... She said 'You fight just like your sister', and then she turned to ash." Aaron's eyes went wide, and he gasped. "I had my suspicions when the Doorways first opened. My sister, Samantha, when she disappeared, it was like she dropped off the face of the Earth. At the time I found that notion impossible. Now I know otherwise. She must've been brought here by a Portal Master." Eon materialized in the room at the foot of the cot. I ripped my hand out of Aaron's.

"Maia, I had no idea she was here, otherwise I would've sought her out a long time ago." The great Portal Master started, faltering a bit as he noticed our embarrassment. "So that leaves two possibilities: either she was summoned by a Portal Master of Darkness, or she is a Portal Master herself." A cold spread throughout my body, starting from my heart and moving outwards.

"If she was brought here by a Dark Portal Master, she might've been killed! And if she is a Portal Master herself, how did she bypass the Doorway? And when did she fight the Mages?" I was frantic now. My sister was either dead, alive, or... I was struck by a morbid thought... Turned... Aaron tried sitting up, but he groaned loudly in pain and collapsed. I immediately forgot my own problems and focused on him.

"Eon, go get Ryan, tell him Aaron woke up." I opened the bottle of Morphine, and gave him one. Then I went over to the sink and got a small paper cup of water. He took the pill without hesitation, then lay back down. Ryan opened the door and walked over to Aaron.

"I'm glad to see you awake, that's a very good sign. Now, you're going to be immobile for a while, and in a lot of pain. We managed to defeat the Mages with the help of Jason and Dark Spyro. Draxx, unfortunately, escaped. We have escaped the Outlands, and we're on a direct course to the Ambrosia farms in Falling Forest. And, from what I hear," he turned to me, "_you_ were told to rest." I sighed. He turned back to Aaron. "There have been few injuries besides yours, just cuts and bruises. You will be out of action unless we can get enough Ambrosia to heal both you and Julia." He said, nodding over at the cocoon.

"She comes first!" Aaron snapped immediately. Ryan simply nodded.

"I managed to fix your jaw and sew you up where one of the Mages got you. I want to wrap your chest to support your ribs, but I can't yet, the gauze would irritate the cut, and if it opens again it could be infected."

"So why can't you mend my ribs like you did my jaw?" Aaron asked, rubbing his jaw.

"One, I don't have enough energy left." He tapped his Crystal. "And two, I can't do that without risking pinching one of your vital organs and causing internal bleeding. But that's where the Ambrosia comes into play. If we can heal Julia, then she can possibly use any Ambrosia left over to heal your ribs. Now, we've had a long..." He checked his watch "eighteen hours by my watch, since we first arrived at the arena. So get some rest. Both of you. Drobot's piloting, he says we have a good three hours before we arrive at the farms." I nodded, and Ryan left. Once Aaron was asleep, I finally felt okay with returning to my room and laying down myself, falling asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.

* * *

"Hey, wake up." I groaned and turned over onto my stomach.

"Come on, wake up, we're here." Here? Where was here? Where am I? I rolled back over and sat up: I was in my room on the _Innovator_.

"Here?" I asked, noticing Lauren standing a few feet away. She quickly dropped something from her hand into her pocket as she noticed my gaze.

"The Ambrosia farms, in Falling Forest. We're going to head down in just about twenty minutes."

"What about Aaron, and Julia? And did you just drop ice into your pocket?" I questioned. Lauren's face reddened, and she tried to hide a smile. She failed. She busted out laughing as she dropped a handful of ice cubes down the back of my shirt. I squealed and rocketed off of my bed as Lauren threw her head back, eyes streaming, barely able to breathe because she was laughing so hard. I reached into the top drawer of my nightstand table and drew out a taser. I flipped the switch and electricity crackled through the air.

"Run." I said in a dangerous tone. Lauren squealed and fled the room. After she left, I took a quick shower in the connecting bathroom and changed into some hiking clothes: an orange t-shirt, carpenter jeans, and dark black hiking boots. I walked over to my tool rack, slipping a seven-pound hammer into the loop on my pants leg, and dropped some nails into my pocket. I picked up my holster and slipped it around my waist. Even though we're in friendly territory, I'm not going anywhere unarmed. I slid the clip out of my pistol and checked it: full. I slid it back in and holstered the weapon, taking five more clips and placing them in the holders on my belt. I dashed up to the top deck as Kelly debriefed us, purposefully standing next to Lauren.

"Nice of you to join us. Anyway, it's been agreed that we shouldn't all head into the forest. Jason, Ryan, and myself will stay behind to tend to Aaron and Julia, along with the Tech Skylanders. I'm not sure the locals would want any Undead or Dark energy in their forest, not to mention bombs and lasers. So that means Lauren, Leah, Maia, Bruce, John, and Whirlwind will proceed ahead to the village. Your goal is to collect at least two Ambrosia plants, although more would be wonderful, along with any seeds the farmers are willing to spare. You are NOT allowed to start trouble with the villagers. They will be wary of you at first, because not many humans have been in Skylands since the Doorways were sealed. But there have also been recent reports of Drow activity in this area. Only engage if you are confronted or they have prisoners. Riling up the Drow clans will only cause trouble for the locals, and we absolutely don't need that. And under NO circumstance are you allowed to reveal the information about the Ambrosia farms; the locals keep it secret. And please don't waltz into the village asking for Ambrosia. You will have to contact the village Elder, and gain their trust. Hopefully then you will be allowed access to the farms." We split up and headed out.

As our group started moving down the boarding ramp, I jabbed Lauren in her side with two fingers, yelling "ZAP!" She squealed and started running away, following the path to the village. Laughing, the rest of the group rounded the bend to catch up with her. We came upon a straight stretch on the trail, and stopped as we saw Lauren standing, staring at something in the distance to the right. Without saying a word, she pointed at the sky. Following her gaze, there was a collective gasp from the group.

Smoke.

Thick, black, dark, smoke.

"LET'S GO!" John roared, and we dashed along the path.


	20. Home? (Part 2)

It was a winding path, so it took us about five minutes to arrive at the village. We came upon the southern entrance, and we were shocked. We had come across two huge, wooden beams that had been driven into the ground. these beams connected to a wooden wall. But the wall had a huge, gaping, smoldering, hole in it. It was easily large enough to step through, and it even smoked still. Luckily, whatever bomb or fire that caused this destruction hadn't spread to the trees around it.

"Whirlwind, fly overhead and see if you can find me a river to draw from." Lauren ordered. "John, see if you can do anything to stop those flames, take Leah and Bruce with you." She turned to me and said "Maia, i'm going to need you to see about the villagers and the farms, so MOVE OUT!" she bellowed. Everyone started pounding down the pathway to the village, and Whirlwind flew off to scout around. When we made it to the village square, soldiers dropped from the trees, forming a circle around us. They were Elves, clad in leafy green armor, made of wood with leather straps, very rugged in design. They leveled makeshift spears at us, and a few had hunting bows and small quivers on their backs. These soldiers were poorly equipped, and many seemed to be wounded.

"Who are you? What is your business here?" The leader commanded in a gruff tone, looking over us with confusion.

"We're Portal Masters. We came because we... Um... Heard a distress call. We're here to help you, where are the rest of the villagers, the women and children?" I rambled, gulping as I felt the sharp edge of a spearhead at my throat.

"That is none of your concern. And if you're a Portal Master, where's your Skylanders?" The commander questioned. Thankfully, Whirlwind landed behind him.

"Stand down Keegan, we only want to help." Whirlwind stated. The commander, Keegan, spun on his heel.

"Whirly! I'm so glad you're here! Stand down men, any ally of a Skylander is an ally of ours. Welcome Portal Masters!" Keegan and his soldiers dropped their weapons and ran over to hug Whirlwind. She laughed in delight, and then Keegan came and shook all of our hands very excitedly.

"My apologies, great Portal Masters, I didn't scare you too much, did I? What brings you here?"

"We saw the smoke," Whirlwind started, "and it let us here. But the real issue is this: We have two wounded Portal Masters on our ship, beyond even my help." Keegan's face darkened, and he turned away from our group, walking a few paces away to stare at the flames. The building burning was the largest building in the village, probably the community center.

"It really isn't fair. We're just farmers and healers, simple folk. We're not fighters. The women, and children, they're safe, we relocated them temporarily. The men... Most were either captured... Or killed. Those Drow are evil. They marched in here one day, demanding Ambrosia. We denied the existence of our farms, and they backed off peacefully. The next night, they burned down our battlements, destroying all of our already poor weaponry and armor. They raided us the next day, discovering some of the secret farms, pillaging our Ambrosia stores. After that, they started chaining up our men and hauling them off. They came for the women just as the hunters arrived back. There was a small skirmish, and we managed to repel them. We moved the women and children out of the village right away, and built a wall. We went three days without problem, but then the fiends dammed up the only river into town.

"In the days afterwards, they attacked us with fire. Rained flaming arrows over the wall from all directions. That didn't do much damage though, it was merely a distraction, but we didn't know that. We didn't realize that until today. During one of their attack, I ordered the men to return fire, but I had doubt we would hit more than a log. When we were all distracted, they blew a darned gaping hole in the wall and charged in with thirty men to our fifty. As we concentrated there, armed with only our hunting knives, the tide turned in our favor as we managed to steal some weapons from their dead, and only sustained a few injuries. Then, the enemy launched an attack on our rear.

"Twenty Drow scaled the wall and hit us from the rear as archers rained down on us from the top of the wall. The weapons that the breachers bore, they were made of impure metal; they shattered as soon as we engaged the scalers. The breachers were reinforced, and we started taking heavy casualties as the two forces pushed us. That's when you showed up. The Drow heard your engines and fled, capturing about ten of us.

"They had killed twenty of our fifty men, and captured ten. There's just the twenty of us left. We took the dead and set them in the Big House and torched it. It was an obvious signal, and we hoped it would draw help. This village is supposed to be hidden, so we have no communications to the outside world or any technology of any kind. I'm still trying to figure out how the Drow knew about us, and our Ambrosia. We located ourselves here specifically so the Elemental signature of the Ambrosia would be cloaked by the environment itself. You can't go anywhere in this forest where there's no Life energy." Keegan stopped talking and turned back to us. The firelight behind him cast an eerie darkness across his features. I immediately started strategizing. The first things we needed to do were blow up the dam and free the prisoners. I'd need supplies, we better stop by the ship.

"Do you know what they're using the Ambrosia for?" I asked. Keegan frowned and rubbed his jaw.

"I'm not sure. Ambrosia has amazing healing properties, but it's so difficult to use that most people just avoid it. But Elemental crops like Ambrosia, Floats, Eufirbia, they can all be used for energy. Way back in the olden days, when humans were common in Skylands, they could use these plants as power sources for spells, alchemists used them in their potions, and so many other things. But when The Closing happened, all these secrets were locked away in some vault or something, and the vault was dropped in a volcano on Earth. Or maybe it was the sea? Perhaps it was buried. Either way, after so long, there'd be almost no chance of finding it. But you do bring up an interesting point. We have connections to other hidden farms, and there have been several reports of raiding parties. Maybe it's all connected?" Uh oh. That did not sound good.

"Who has been raided? And who were they raided by?" I asked, dreading the answer I knew would come.

"Well, Grave Digger farms, the Undead crops, were raided by Arkeyans. Some of the Eufirbia farms were raided by Trolls. We were raided by Drow. These forces have never worked together though, so I guess there really isn't a connection." This was beautiful. Just beautiful. Fantastic.

"There is a connection. One of our battles pitted us against Trolls and Arkeyans, controlled by the same master. And one of that master's disciples attacked our friend with a squadron of Drow. So if all three of these forces are just now raiding farms, starting at the same time, it's only logical to assume that they're working for the same guy." I left out the part about the 'master' being a Dark Portal Master. The last thing we need right now is mass panic. It's better to say nothing. But If Draxx is collecting these crops, what could he be using them for? What could he be powering? A vision of Kelly appeared in front of us.

"Hey, guys, Drobot says he has something on the radar. A huge ship, looks like a freighter. It's moving pretty slow and it's on the very edge of the radar, but we can already tell two things: it's heading this way, and whatever is inside is giving off a pretty good amount of Tech energy. ETA one hour, so get the Ambrosia and get the locals to safety." This was not good.

"Negative," I replied, "the farm has been raided by Drow. They took Ambrosia and prisoners. We need to retrieve them. Get Drobot on the Portal, let me talk to him." Kelly walked off for a second, then returned with Drobot. "Drobot, I'm going to need four sticks of dynamite, five yards of fuse, and matches." I requested. Drobot gathered these materials from the workshop next to the engine room, and Kelly Portaled them to me. "Good, now drop the ship into stealth mode, stay off the enemy radar. I want to stage a trap. We're going to let them land and pick up the 'prisoners' and Ambrosia. I want to know what they need this for. We're going to arm the rest of prisoners and stow away with them. Once we find out what they're up to, we'll have to fight our way out. That's when we'll need you. On my command, you're going to engage the enemy, and make sure they stay above the forest. Once we deal with the guards, we're going to have to push out the Ambrosia and jump. When we're clear, you're going to let them get away from the island, then blow their engines out. Understand?" I questioned.

"Affirmative. But, what if we are not able to keep the enemy freighter above the forest?" He replied in his monotone. I frowned.

"If the freighter moves away from the island, we're going to have to fight our way up to the command deck and take control. Either that, or we jump and you'll have to catch us..." My voice trailed off. The sheer impact of jumping would be enough to make us splatter across the deck. Drobot knew this too. "So stay close. Remember, stealth mode." I took a Bluetooth and placed it in my ear. "Frequency one." I said, and he nodded. The illusion faded away. I turned to the others, holding the dynamite in one hand and the fuse line in the other. I saw John examining one of the broken swords.

"What're you thinking?" I asked. He snapped out of his concentration and turned to me, passing the sword to Bruce, who looked confused.

"Is that just weak metal, or are there impurities?" He asked.

"It feels impure. Definitely iron. Why?" Bruce replied, handing the fragment back.

"Have any of you heard of a man by the name of Bessemer?" John asked. Bruce looked confused, Lauren was distracted by what looked to be rainclouds in the distance, and Leah just shook her head. John glanced at me.

"Yeah, he developed the first inexpensive process for removing the impurities from iron..." I looked at John. He looked somewhat smug. "By blasting cold air into molten iron ore..."

"And what is this?" John asked, holding up the sword.

"Impure iron."

"And what can Leah over there do?"

"Blast cold air."

Precisely." He concluded. "Take Lauren with you to take out the dam. I'll need Leah to provide air while I heat the furnace, and Bruce is needed to help shape the swords and spears these hunters are going to use. Only use three sticks of dynamite on the dam. Once you take it out, the Drow will call for reinforcements. Follow the river and lead them back to the wall. We'll be waiting on the other side. Blow a hole in the wall and we'll charge through to take them by surprise. Then Lauren can use the river to attack with the hunters. Then we'll all go back and stage our ambush." I was actually surprised at how good a plan that was. John's smarter than he looks. I nodded at Lauren, and we headed out of the village and up the river bank, sticking to the treeline.

"So, what exactly is my purpose here?" She asked quietly as she paced behind me.

"Well, i'm going to need you to stay hidden while I plant the TNT. If I get caught, it'll be your job to get me out." She seemed surprised.

"I was actually, umm... Talking to myself right there." She mumbled, looking at the ground.

"Hey, you have a purpose. We all do." I said, turning to her and looking her straight in her eyes.

"Well, I can't perform surgery, or blast everyone away from me, or beat Goliaths to death with my bare hands, or throw boulders, or swing from a freaking machine gun over a bottomless pit, and still manage to hit my targets." She looked me dead in the eye, her sea-blue eyes locking onto mine.

"Have you experimented with ice yet?" I asked calmly. She opened her mouth to respond, then shut it. She bit her bottom lip as she thought about my question.

"Well, no, but,"

"No." I cut her off. "Save it. Do you know just how much a Water Elemental can do?" I questioned. She shook her head. "Exactly. I've been reading up about all the Elements in Skylands. Water users can freeze their enemies into a solid block of ice, and then change the ice into boiling water to scald the prisoner and potentially give them frostbite. Water has been used to put out fires, and there have been instances of Water users freezing the frames of collapsing buildings so people inside could escape. Water is extremely useful, and so are you." I said, laying a hand on her shoulder. She smiled and gave me a huge hug, picking me up, causing us both to laugh." Jason came on the radio as Lauren set me down.

"You need to get moving, we're running out of time. And keep the mic live, so we know what's going on down there." I lowered my hand away from my ear.

"Affirmative, we're in sight of the dam now, proceeding to demolish." I reported, nodding to Lauren. We headed for the dam, crouched in the foliage on the riverbank. We stopped within fifty feet of the dam. It was an extremely simple design, just a pile of stones held together with baked mud and the occasional tree branch. I checked for guards, there was one standing on top of the dam and one on the bank closest to us. I motioned for Lauren to be silent and I slowly moved upriver. The Drow camp was on the far side of the river, just four tents spread out around a larger tent in the center. They all seemed to be double-bedders at least, so we were looking at ten, maybe twelve Drow. They wouldn't be that hard to take out. The hard part would be fighting them long enough for their reinforcements to arrive, and still be convincing. I'm going to need to take out the guards first, but quietly. I retreated a few paces deeper into the forest.

"Jason, we have eyes on two Drow guarding the dam, and ten to twelve more in a small camp they have set up. I'm going to need a silencer for my pistol."

"Copy." Jason said, and after a few seconds my silencer appeared before me with a small _pop!_ I grabbed it and screwed it onto my Eagle. Then I returned to Lauren.

"Any movement?" I whispered. She shook her head no. "Good," I replied, "i'm gonna move in. I'll take out the guards, plant the explosives, and wire it over to the other side of the bank. When I light that fuse, get behind something solid and stay there. Once I engage the enemy, you're going to have to be able to keep hidden as I retreat. Once I blow a hole in the village wall, you can go ahead and do your Hydromancy. Do not reveal your position unless I call for you, understand?" I asked. She bit her lip again and looked at the ground, avoiding eye contact. "Understand?" I asked again in a darker tone.

"Yeah..." she grumbled.

"I don't like this either, but at least one of us needs to make it back." I said, and paced away without giving her a chance to reply. I moved slowly upriver, almost on the edge of the foliage, getting an angle behind the guards. The one standing at the base of the wall leaned against his spear, obviously bored. The one atop did the same. I took aim at the guard atop the wall. I aimed down the barrel of my Eagle, my right hand clenching the grip, the other under it. With careful precision I held my breath, aimed a small bit higher, and gently pulled the trigger. A bullet went soaring, and struck the Drow in the head. I watched him fall forward off the dam, landing in the riverbank with a thud. I drew a bead on the other and fired, just as he went to investigate. The bullet lodged itself in his left shoulder with a small spray of blood. Just as he went to yell, an icy spear shot up from the river, puncturing his heart. His entire body slacked and he fell forward as the ice melted and returned to the river. I silently thanked Lauren, and prayed we had gone unnoticed. I waited a minute and, when no one appeared, I crept forward into the riverbed, dropping into an army crawl. When I reached the dam, I placed a stick of dynamite in the bottom right corner of the wall, the bottom left corner, and up top in the middle, fastening them with duct tape. The wall was only about seven foot high, and maybe a foot thick.

"Give me the ETA on that freighter." I said into the headset.

"Fifteen minutes," Kelly replied, "so whatever you're going to do, make it quick." I swore under my breath.

"Change of plans then," I breathed, "come to our side of the island under stealth. When that ship lands, pop up and take out their engines. Leave them stranded here. Then i'll blow the dam, and we'll proceed as planned. Confirm."

"Confirmed." Kelly said. "What are we going to do after we take out the engines though?"

"Provide air support if needed, and take out any air support they might have."

"Confirmed." Kelly stated. I finished tying the fuses and lined it out to the side of the riverbank the Drow were on. Then I sat crouched in the riverbank, a strike-anywhere match in one hand, and a stone in the other. The fifteen minutes simply crawled by. Finally, the freighter appeared overhead. It was massive, steel plated, propulsed by huge jet engines and helicopter blades that seemed to be sharpened. It came into the clearing that the Drow inhabited and landed, crushing a few small trees. Some of the crowd of Drow that had appeared by the landing site shook their head, obviously irritated. The front of the ship opened like a huge, gaping maw, and a contingent of Arkeyans paced out. A few of the Drow rushed inside the large tent. Two came out leading about ten prisoners, all elves. A third appeared from the tent, carrying a large crate.

"We have altitude on them, waiting on your command to engage." Drobot rumbled through the earpiece.

"Do you have eyes on the crate?" I asked as the seals on the crate were undone.

"Affirmative." The crate was opened. "Can confirm Ambrosia shipment." I guessed that was a good sign. "Wait, another crate is being brought from the tents. And a third. Confirming visual of... Eufirbia. And Floats." Drobot stated, worried.

"Engage! I repeat, engage!" I practically yelled into the mic. This was bad. As I heard a whistling sound, I struck the match and set the fuse ablaze. The dam was taken out just as the first payload struck the freighter's engines. As the dynamite blew, it sent huge fragments of stone flying towards the enemy, impaling a few Drow, and crushing one Arkeyan. Panic broke out as another payload hit the second engine. Everyone started running for cover, but one Arkeyan drew his sword and charged the prisoners, who had been tied to a tree.

"I'm going after those prisoners, keep me covered!" I hollered to Lauren. She nodded, and we both broke out into a full-on sprint upriver, on opposite banks. I reached the Arkeyan just as he reached the prisoners. I dove feet-first into his legs, knocking him off balance. I shot him in the head as I scrambled to my feet, then picked up his sword and turned to the elves. Some of them seemed extremely young, maybe even my age. They were in a circle, their backs together, thick ropes around their chests. I swung an overhand strike, and severed the rope. They flinched backwards. I looked down at their hands, which were all bound. Of course. A couple of Drow spearmen came up behind me, but were impaled with ice. I glanced over to the oldest of the group, and cut his hands free, passing him the sword.

"Cut the rest free, i'll cover you. Then arm yourselves and follow me, we're going to have to fight our way back to the village!" I yelled over the din of gunfire coming from the _Innovater_. He nodded.

"Thank you, human! Who are you, anyway?" He questioned. Lauren appeared by my side, bearing an ice shield and her Sword. The enemy had finally come to their senses and were attacking us. As the leader cut the last rope, I yelled "We're Portal Masters!" A huge cheer went up, and the prisoners charged into the big tent, returning second later, armed with Drow spears and swords.

We were pressed downriver as more and more soldiers charged us, a mix of Drow and Arkeyans. A few of the elves had stopped to pick up the crates, and were now running towards the village. Me, Lauren, and a few other elves were in the front, locked in brutal sword fights.

"Maia, pop a frag!" I heard Lauren yell on my right.

"Frag out!" I screamed, tossing a grenade into the Arkeyan ranks. After the explosion, I had a second to rest. That was all Lauren needed. A huge wall of water was drawn from the river, ten feet tall as Lauren waved her hand, her eyes glowing blue. Then, she clenched her fist, and the water froze solid. The glow faded from her eyes, and she stumbled, almost fainting, but I caught her. She looked up at me with a crazy grin on her face.

"How's that for Hydromancy?" She asked, regaining her footing.

"That was amazing, but we need to move!" I turned and waved my hand forward. "Get back to the wall!" I yelled, and the elves started jogging forward. Within a minute, we had our backs to the wall. I spotted the Arkeyans charging at us again, and I lit the fuse on my last stick of dynamite. I watched the Arkeyans get closer. And closer. I could feel their footsteps reverberating through the ground. Closer and closer they came. When they were about two hundred feet away, I threw the dynamite. The stick struck the wall just as the fuse ran out. The wall was blasted inward and the hunters, led by Keegan, came charging out armed with swords and spears. Reinforced, the newly freed prisoners charged forward, straight into enemy ranks. I watched the battle ensue as I stood in the rear, panting next to Lauren. One of the elves that had been carrying the crates ran past us.

"Hydromancer, catch!" He called, tossing a plant into the air. Lauren caught it; it was a Float.

"What am I supposed to do with this?" She called out.

"Use the Water energy stored inside, and quick; we're really outnumbered!" he yelled back at us as he charged into the fight. Lauren held the plant, looking down at it. It was a simple blue stalk, connecting to what seemed to be giant dew drops. She looked at it, confused. All of a sudden, her Crystal flashed a brilliant, blinding blue. When the light faded, all that was left in her hands was a dried up, shriveled stem.

"Woah, headrush!" She laughed, stumbling. "But it completely recharged my Crystal!" She informed me as she regained her balance. She looked at the river, grinned, and jumped in. A second after her head disappeared below the water, she resurfaced atop a swirling vortex of water. Icy spears were shot from the river, impaling so many Arkeyans that they turned and started to retreat. With a cheer we pursued them, Lauren keeping to the river, hurling spikes and the fleeing robots. They tried retreating into the forest, but some of the elf hunters flanked them, pushing them back to the riverbank with a hailstorm of arrows. The Arkeyans were trapped on both sides and behind, so all they could do was run. They fled back to their ship, only about a hundred of them left. They swarmed back inside their ship, away from the _Innovater's _gunfire, away from the advancing militia. There was a glorious uproar of laughter from the elves as the Arkeyans shut down all access to their ship, hiding inside like cowards.

"The wimps!" John roared through bouts of laughter. "Hiding like a child! Watch this!" He said, and threw a brilliant ember flame at the front hatch. The column only lasted a second though, for he was out of energy. "Hand me one of those Eufirbia." An elf threw him one of those plants, and it took him only a second to absorb the energy from it. Then, he threw his fist towards the hull once again, and a massive fireball engulfed the wall, leaving it glowing a molten red. A column of stone from Bruce punctured the weakened spot, splattering molten metal all across the insides of the vessel. A blast of air from Leah cooled the steel, and the Portal Masters led the charge inside. I jumped up and grabbed the edge of the hull, heaving myself inside. I stood up, looking both left and right, and seeing Arkeyans fleeing both ways. It seemed like left was the cargo bay from what I saw of the outside of the ship, and the cockpit was to the right.

"Move left, towards the cargo bay!" I called over my shoulder. And I dashed off, pursuing the Arkeyans. One of them noticed us, and slammed his fist on a red button in the wall. A huge, steel door slammed down in front of me. I yelled in rage and slammed my fist against the wall. Bruce came up on my left.

"Can't use just use your Tech power to lift it?" He asked.

"One, i'm completely drained." I said, holding up my Crystal. "And two, this wasn't _built_ to be lifted back up. It was just held up by something, and they dropped it right in our path." I ran my hand across the wall, it seemed to be stainless steel, completely smooth. I knocked against it, a dull _thunk _resonated. "Completely solid, great." I grumbled. There was no way to get through, it had to be at least a foot thick. No dynamite. No energy. It'd take forever to melt it. And it was crafted to fit within a couple of recesses in the wall, so we can't push it over. My father's voice rang in my mind. '_If you can't go through something, go _around _it.'_ It was one of his favorite sayings. I thanked him silently as I knocked on the wall to my right. It rang with a high pitched, hollow sound. I nodded to Bruce.

"Hit it."

He grinned and nodded, swinging his hammer. A horrible creaking sound rang through the air as the wall split. It opened into another corridor, and we dashed inside, following the general direction the Arkeyans fled in. It was dimly lit in the hallway, with only a bare red bulb every ten feet or so. We dashed along, our footsteps pounding down the eerily quiet hallway. I spotted a light up ahead, a holy white in the black and red darkness. We reached it, finding a door under. CARGO BAY the sign on the door read. I motioned for silence and pressed my ear to the cold metal. I heard a few pacing footsteps, some small commands in Arkeyan I couldn't make out, and another sound that was familiar, yet faint.

"Hey, what's going on down there, I can't hear anything, you okay?" Jason's voice crackled through my earpiece.

"Yeah, we're good," I replied quietly, "but see if you can make out what's happening in the cargo bay, we're just outside."

Silence followed.

"Run." His voice cracked.

"Repeat?" I asked.

"Run. Now. You can't win this one." His worry was infectious.

"What is in there?" I was straining to keep from yelling.

"A Geargolem," his voice was shaking, "imagine a giant suit of armor, then fill it with fire." That didn't seem so bad.

"Sounds like Ignitor." I replied.

He growled. "There should be a small window on the door. Open it." I felt around and found a circular disc in the door. I shoved it to the side and a small viewport was revealed. Wincing at the light and blinking, I raised my face to the glass.

"Oh my god..."

Jason was right. It was a huge set of armor, Arkeyan steel by the looks of it, but where the body should've been, there was flame. It was twice my height, and maybe triple the shoulder width. The metal was blackened from the flame, and the very air around it rippled in a heat wave. But the worst part... There were two of them. Two Golems, and twenty footsoldiers.

"How do we kill it?" I asked with a quavering voice, backing away from the door.

"With water, hopefully that'll work." Jason informed.

"So, we lead them outside, let Lauren use the river, and-"

"No," he cut me off, "you want to lead a giant Fire elemental through a forest?" I gulped, he was right.

"So what do we do?"

"You run."

"What's to stop them to set fire to the forest anyway?" Silence ensued. The freighter started humming. "What's going on? Something's happening."

Drobot's voice crackled through the headset, "Freighter has engaged secondary engines, attempting takeoff. Suggest immediate evacuation."

I turned around to face the rest. I had pretty much become the leader of this operation, but I really couldn't force anyone to stay.

"Drobot says the freighter is trying to take off again. He thinks we should evacuate. But i'm not going anywhere until I figure out what these raids have all been about. If i'm correct, the command center and briefing room should be just past the cargo bay. The only thing between us and the intel we need is some Arkeyan infantry... And two Fire Geargolems." There was a collective gasp from the elves. "I can't force any of you to face something that I don't know how to kill. If anyone wants to leave, you may do so." I looked at the faces of the other Portal Masters, my friends. I saw some fear, but even more determination. Keegan stepped forward, clearing his throat.

"I believe I can speak on the behalf of my men here that it has truly been a privilege and an honor to fight by your side, Portal Masters. We aren't going anywhere without you." There was a small cheer from the elves. I nodded thankfully as the freighter lurched off the ground.

"Drobot, we're staying. All of us. We're going to try to make a push for the command center. Do not engage the freighter unless I give the codeword Checkmate. Understand?" Drobot, his voice strained, replied "Affirmative."

I turned back to the door, giving it a heavy shove. It flew open and I charged in with the rest of my force, yelling "For Skylands!" The Arkeyans reached us first, but they fell within seconds. The Geargolems hadn't moved except to turn to us. So we stood there, eyeing each other, sizing the other up.

Then, as one, they attacked. Outstretching their fists, two giant columns of flame shot forward to engulf us. John was quick to defend, creating a wall of flame. But, once again, I could see him losing strength. His wall faded and we all dove out of the way, John drawing his swords and charging. He leapt into the air and came down blade first onto one of the Golems, applying all his weight into the stabs. His swords came into contact with the shoulder of the enemy, but bounced off harmlessly. John sprawled onto the floor, dazed and barely managing to roll away from another blast of heat. Lauren threw her trident, but it melted before it even made contact. I fired a few rounds from my pistol, but they just ricocheted off the armor. So, I have no way to kill it. Great. Okay, I need to think logically. What are the major components of these things? Metal and fire. What beats metal? Force dents it. What beats fire? Well, air can blow out a flame, water can drown out a flame, earth can bury it, and fire can beat fire by either cutting off the fuel source or... Absorbing it.

"John! You have to absorb the flame!" I yelled to him as I rolled away from another streak of flame.

"What?" He yelled back, throwing fiery javelins.

"Absorb the Fire magic these guys run on! Without water, that's the only way to beat them!" I rolled away from another huge blast of flame. I watched as John ran forward and jumped on the nearest Geargolem, his palm on its chest. The golem punched him away, but it was too late; contact had already been made. A stream of flame trailed through the air, from the Geargolem into John's hand. A hot wind started blowing , and the Crystal on John's chest glowed blood red as the power surged through it. But John started faltering, stumbling backwards.

"Too... Much! Can't... hold... it... all!" His voice was extremely strained. The Crystal was at it's capacity, he had to let loose that energy.

"Hold on John! Guys, cover me!" I yelled as I ran over to the closest control panel. I messed with the strange Arkeyan technology, trying to open the bay doors. With a scream of frustration, I turned and looked around. I saw two canisters that looked like they provided pressure to the doors. I shot each one and the doors slowly started coming down. Too slowly. John yelled and threw all the absorbed energy from one Geargolem at the other, which flew backwards from the force of the blast, almost missing the bay door. The wind screamed and whipped through my air, almost deafening me. John finished absorbing the energy from the first golem, and it fell to the ground, just an empty husk. John collapsed too, and the second Geargolem stood up, once more advancing towards us, its armor melted in places. Bruce dropped to the ground and punched the floor, metal wrapping around his wrists. He then dashed forward and started punching the Geargolem, slowly forcing it backwards as the door opened fully. At the last second it grabbed Bruce's chest, hoisting him into the air, crushing his stone chestplate and turning it to dust. He screamed in pain, but managed to throw one last punch, which finally knocked the giant out of the ship. Leah screamed and jumped after him, Lauren close behind her. Even though I was tempted to dive out with them, I forced myself to make my way to the door leading into the command center. The elves grabbed John out of the bay and went to take control of the ship. The door opened into a small room with a round table and a huge map pinned up on the wall. It was a map of Skylands, with certain locations circled, and others crossed out. I quickly took the pins out and folded the map up, shoving it into my pocket.

(Bruce's POV)

I plummeted downwards, wailing on the Geargolem. It finally let go of me, leaving behind charred, blistered skin and an incinerated t-shirt. Leah appeared on my left, controlling the winds to catch up with me.

"Get me to the ground before it hits," I yelled, "I have to bury it!" My lungs felt like (but thankfully weren't) on fire. She grabbed my shoulder, rocketing us downward. The ground came closer and closer to us, making me want to puke. Finally, we touched down gently. As soon as my feet touched the ground, I created a chasm beneath the falling foe. Everything shook as it crashed down into the pit. I quickly closed the hole, then collapsed myself.

(Maia's POV)

The elves returned to the cargo bay. The controls are shot and we're plummeting.

"Guys, pull the ship around to the cargo doors. We're going to have to jump; this freighter is useless." I said into the earpiece. A few seconds later the _Innovater _appeared outside. The elves ran forwards and started jumping out of the cargo bay. Jason flew into the freighter and hauled John out. Finally, I was the only one left. I stood and stared out the cargo door, mostly at the infinite expanse between the freighter and my ship. Okay, I admit it, i'm afraid of heights. Swinging off that gun, I had my eyes closed.

"Maia, come on! We have to go!" Kelly yelled over the screaming winds. I swallowed hard, and sprinted forward. I leapt from the cargo door, my foot stamping down hard.

And slipping.

I started free-falling, plummeting downward, towards certain death. The wind screamed in my ears, rushed through my hair, tugged at my body. But then it all stopped. I was encased in a purple glow, and pulled towards the ship. Aaron stood on the deck, dressed in a purple robe with brown leather strips arcing over his shoulders and tied in his belt. His staff was aimed at me, controlling the direction of my movement. He set me down gently, then fell back into a wheelchair, throwing his arm across his chest. I ran over and hugged him.

"Oh my God thank you so much! I would've been dead without you!" He hugged me back gently.

"You're ok, it's ok." He said soothingly. "Take the helm, we need to go check on the others." I nodded and walked over to the wheel, spinning it so we headed back for the clearing the Drow had been set up in. I landed the ship and deployed the ramp, dashing towards Bruce. He lay on the ground, his torso blistered, blackened, and bleeding. Lauren had drawn water from the river, using it to cool him. But tears streamed from her eyes.

"He's gone..." She sobbed. I couldn't believe it. Bruce couldn't be dead. He just couldn't. Ryan sprinted forward and crouched beside the body, immediately placing his hands on Bruce's chest.

"Get some Ambrosia for Julia! Hurry! I can't bring him back, his body is too weak. But I can bind his soul to the body, for now. Once Julia repairs the body, I can bring him back. Hurry!" He barked. Gray light seeped from his hands, encasing Bruce. I turned to the collection of elves, and called "Are there any among you who can take the energy from Ambrosia, and give it to our friend?" An elf stepped forward. He was obviously old, with stooped shoulders and a slow, ambling gait aided by a walking stick. A silver-gray beard hung halfway down his chest, with a mop of hair the same shade tied in a long ponytail atop his head.

His weathered, wrinkled face peered up at me, and with a low, raspy voice he said, "I am Merlin, the elder of this village, and also the best healer. You claim to be Portal Masters. We haven't seen those out here in a long time, especially not humans. But the fact remains that you saved us, so the least we can do is help heal your friends. Arthur, gather all the spare Ambrosia, and bring it with you. Portal Master, lead me to your wounded." I nodded at Merlin and took him to the infirmary where Aaron lay on a cot once again, and Julia had yet to move from her cocoon. Whirlwind led in Arthur, who carried a small wooden crate that gave off a soft green glow. "Now," said Merlin, "we begin."

* * *

**Ooh, an update on Friday the 13th. Spooooooooky. Anyway, I just want to say thank you for your continued support of this story, all the reads and reviews are amazing. A special thanks goes out to my editor Lunrav14 for her help with this chapter. (She also has a really amazing story of her own that needs more attention, so I thought i'd mention that). I really hope you guys like this extra long chapter, altogether this chapter totals over 12,000 words and I'm not even done! Once again, thank you all for the support you've given this story. Without you guys I probably would've given up writing. Rate and review please!**

**-DeadPortal, out**


	21. Home? (Part 3)

(Julia's POV)

I sat in a crystalline forest, made entirely of emerald. Everything was dim. I looked up at the tree in front of me, obviously larger than the rest. There was something... different about it. Something... familiar? A glow came from the base of the tree, and spread upwards, illuminating every branch and leaf. Then, it spoke.

"It has been bestowed upon you by fate to be a guardian of all living things."

"Who are you?" I asked, and for some reason I was completely calm. After all I've been through, a talking tree wasn't that unusual. Thinking about it, I've _met_ two talking trees already...

"I am Taloc Pantheras, or rather, a part of him. I'm a Portal Master like yourself, although much, much older. I am the creator of the Crystal you hold around your neck." I noticed it glowed a brilliant emerald color while he spoke. "At the time of the Great Closing, the Portal Masters knew we would die off, and needed a weapon for the future generations who would face the Darkness again. So I, along with seven others, sacrificed my life to create this Crystal. The Crystals act as conductors for energy of the respective element, and gives magic to those who have none. In creating these Crystals, we sacrificed a great deal of the energy inside our bodies, and part of our souls as well. Expectedly, we died in the process but, as I said, part of our souls were trapped within these Crystals, waiting to guide a new generation of Portal Masters."

"So why did you need to speak to me? And, where am I?" Memories came flooding back. The Outlands. The Arena. The dome. Being crushed. "How am I alive?"

"You are remarkably gifted," Taloc replied, "to have been able to accomplish what you did. Instead of using my power, you tapped into the magic inside yourself. Quite a bit more than you needed for that spell, but either way you should be dead from the instability and awakening of the magic in your core. Once your friends uncovered you enough, I was able to encase you in a cocoon of vines to prevent further injury. Normally, my power can only act under the control of my host, but since it was the host that was in danger, I saw it fit to keep you from death."

"So, how do I... Wake up?" I asked, worried.

"It would be up to your companions to find a source of Life magic, and use it to re-energize you. But it seems that they are instead giving me power. So I must ask; do you wish to live and fight? To protect all things that live? To be a guardian of Life?"

Feeling like I was swearing to an oath, I said, "I do."

"Then, live." Taloc said. Everything glowed intensely, then, the light rushed into my body, and everything went dark again.

(Maia's POV)

Merlin stood above Julia, guiding the energy from the Ambrosia into her Crystal. There was a bright flash, and the vines fell away. She woke with a start, then groaned in pain. Cuts, bumps, and bruises still lined her arms and face, her shirt was ripped in multiple places, and she just generally looked beat up. Her brown eyes fluttered open, disoriented and confused. Then her gaze found mine.

"Anyone catch the number of the bus that hit me?" She chuckled softly. Merlin had her healed up within minutes, then we rushed outside to check on Bruce. Ryan still crouched above him, but one hand lay on Bruce's chest while the other flipped through the pages of a small book. He looked up at our approach; he was deathly pale.

"I'm going to have to remove the soul from his body and bind it to a part of me so the Life and Undead energy don't mix and cause an unstable reaction in his body. But you're only going to have about a minute to work on him, any longer and his soul will merge with mine. Get ready." Julia, Merlin, and Whirlwind took a place around Bruce. Ryan clenched his fist over Bruce's chest, then pulled it away, bringing with him a small gray ball of energy. Ryan immediately started paling and shaking all over, giving a small grunt of pain. There were huge flashes of rainbow and jade light as the medics worked. When they were finished, Ryan shoved the soul back into Bruce and fell backwards, gasping for breath. I watched, waiting to see some form of breathing or just living at all. There was nothing. Absolutely nothing. "I forgot. Stand back." Ryan said, taking off his gloves. He rubbed his hands together, and I backed away when the hair in the back of my neck stood on end.

"Clear!" He called and shoved his palm onto Bruce's chest. There was a _ZAP_ and Bruce groaned. He jumped up off the dirt and started looking around frantically for a second.

"Where... What... Where's the Geargolem?" He asked. Leah pointed over to a huge crack in the ground, laughing.

"Dude, you put that son of a gun six feet under." She said, grinning.

* * *

After everyone was all patched up, we had a huge feast outside with all of the elves. There was singing, dancing, and just celebrating all around. We stayed in the village for two days, and found out the farmers had a really clever method for keeping their crops hidden. They had carved out the inside of thick tree branches, filled them with dirt, and planted the seeds inside, covering the trunk to hide the crops from above.

As we sat around a huge table in the clearing on the second night, I heard Leah ask quietly, "So, Whirly, have you been here before?" With a giggle, Whirlwind replied "Yeah, Eon sent me to escort some Wood Elf royalty a few years back, and I stayed with them here for a week. Keegan and I got pretty close."

"Ooooh, just how close did you get?" Leah laughed and elbowed Whirlwind, who in return rolled her eyes and smiled. I laughed and pushed away my plate.

"I'm full and tired, so i'm going to hit the hay." I announced, and stood up. Aaron stood quickly. "I'll come with you." He said. Lord he's so protective. It's cute. So we walked the path back to the ship slowly, holding hands, talking about the most inconsequential things, like our favorite foods, musicians, and some of the spells he's been learning.

"Master Eon told me that since there's magic in everything, Magic elementals can cast almost any type of spell. Here, watch this." He drew his wand, did a little twirl, and jabbed it forward. A small spark of flame danced forward from the end. It was admittedly pretty small, but Aaron looked so happy with himself that I had to smile. A few minutes later we had found ourselves in the hallway the bedrooms were in. We just stood there for a minute, looking at each other and smiling. He took my hands in his, and I turned a little red. The next thing I knew, he had pulled me into his arms. I hugged him back and buried my head in his shoulder. I caught a whiff of his cologne and smiled.

"I'm so glad you're okay." I mumbled into his shoulder.

"_You_ are glad _I'm _okay? Last time I checked, you were the one who danced with death not once but twice this week, fighting that Golem and then slipping from the ship. You have no idea how much you worried me."

"I'm sorry..." I replied softly. He hugged me tight.

"It's not your fault... It's Draxx. He's the one who started this war. He's the one who destroyed everything. I can't believe he escaped... Where do you think he went?" His voice was strained, full of a protective anger.

"Honestly, I have no idea. But I think it's time we go home. Back to Earth. After the past few days, I think we need help. We have to find the rest of the Skylanders. We can't do this alone. We aren't strong enough." He nodded. Footsteps echoed down the hall.

"You know, we aren't entirely alone." Julia said, pacing towards us. Aaron quickly let go of me and I backed away. She simply laughed at the gesture. "Oh please, we all pretty much know you two are going out. After what happened on the deck the other day? Yeah, nobody has doubts any more. We're all cool with it though. In fact all the girls think you're a cute couple. The guys seem to agree, well all except Ryan. He doesn't say much..." Aaron and I both nodded. He took my hand again and I smiled.

"So, what did you mean we aren't entirely alone?" Aaron asked. Julia opened her mouth to reply, but paused for a second, cocking her head to the side like she was either thinking or listening to something.

"Well, we have Eon to guide us when he's around, and we have the support of the Mabu, Molekin, basically most of Skylands. So... Yeah." Something was off. She's hiding something. Aaron sensed it too, for a frown ghosted his face. Julia quickly unlocked her door and stepped inside, shutting it afterwards. Aaron and I looked at eachother for a second, then I hugged him once more and unlocked my own room. I walked in, shut the door, threw my keys down on the dresser and fell onto my bed. I was out before my head hit the pillow.

* * *

For some reason I found myself awake at dawn. Slowly, quietly, I slipped out of my room and down the hallway, praying I wouldn't wake the others. I made my way to the mess hall and grabbed a cup of coffee, then headed to the top deck. I sat on the mast of the _Innovater_, atop the phoenix's head, watching the clouds lazily drift by. I felt a warm quilt being draped over my shoulders and I caught the scent of Aaron's cologne again. I smiled as he sat behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist.

"Someone's up a little early. Something wrong?" He asked. I shook my head no and leaned against his chest, looking up at him. His violet gaze, happy smile, his shaggy and weird purple-gold hair. I took a strand of it and stared, a soft smile playing on my lips.

"I've always wanted to ask, what's with your hair?" He smiled a bit at my question.

"Honestly, I don't know. I was completely blonde until the age of about ten, then it turned purple starting at the roots, spreading outwards like a disease." He took my hand in his and my thumb brushed his ring.

"And this?" I asked.

"Apparently, this ring is the only thing my parents left me with when they dropped me off at the orphanage. I used to think it was magical..." His voice trailed off as he stared at the tiny dragon's amethyst eye.

"And now?" I asked, becoming concerned.

"I know it is. Watch this." He took the ring off his finger and threw it. I gasped and tried to get to my feet, but he held me. "Chill out. Watch." He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out... The ring. The ring he had just thrown over the side of the ship.

"How?" I asked, dumbfounded.

"I'm not sure," He stated, "I've asked Eon about it a few times, but he hasn't been exactly helpful." I frowned. "So cap', where be we off today today?" He asked in his best pirate voice, making me laugh.

"Well me bucko, first we be settin' sail to Eon's Citadel, then we be homeward bound." I replied in a deep, scratchy pirate voice. We both burst out laughing at my attempt.

"Early lovebird gets the worm, I guess." Said Kelly from behind us with a melodic laugh. Aaron and I immediately turned red. I glanced down at my watch, it was already eight o'clock. How long had I been sitting out here before Aaron came? I took a sip of my coffee. It had gone cold. Shaking my head at my own spacing out, I took Aaron's hand and Kelly led us to the mess hall. There were scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, pancakes, fresh milk, and coffee along the buffet table. The cooking-bots in the kitchen behind whirred as they went about their work. I grabbed a plate and loaded it with pancakes, eggs, and bacon, pouring myself a fresh mug of coffee as well. I took my place at the head of the table, looking around at my friends. Bruce and John sat next to each other, telling jokes to the rest and occasionally burping loud. Julia, Leah, Lauren, and Kelly sat together giggling and talking. Jason and Ryan sat at the end of the table, having a hushed conversation, Jason shaking his head often and looking irritated. Aaron sat on my right and I held his hand under the table. The Skylanders we had in tow also sat with us, just being themselves (although Boomer was, thankfully, in a less boomy mood). The atmosphere was cheery, and light streamed through the windows as the sun crept slowly higher into the sky. After everyone had finished eating, I decided it was time. I glanced over to Aaron, he nodded. We stood together, and all eyes turned to us, the room going silent.

"Guys, it's time. We've been away far too long. Aaron and I believe it's time we go back to Earth. But we need to make this decision as a team." Kelly stood up.

"It'll be dangerous. I've been... Toying with an idea. The Darkness is powerful. It creates this almost magical pressure that can distort or corrupt any form of magic. That's the reason that arena was an indoor arena. That's the reason Draxx needed to get out of the Darkness before he escaped. If someone tries to open a Portal within the Darkness, the magical pressure I was talking about will alter the path of the magic... Or destroy it altogether. And another thing; the Darkness is at least semi-sentient. It may try to go _through_ a Portal once it is opened. That's why Draxx needed the Doorways opened. If a Portal Master tries to keep a Portal open long enough to let the Darkness through, the Portal Master will be destroyed, and the Darkness could possibly be trapped in limbo, between the Portal and the destination. But, enough of that. Draxx could've easily retreated farther into the Darkness, but he chose to Portal away. I think it's logical to believe he went to Earth. But another thing, we don't know what else is there. All we know is the rest of the Skylanders are somewhere on Earth. But they're probably frozen. I think there's too many unknowns. We don't have enough info. It's a huge risk." There were multiple nods of assent. Then John stood.

"You're right, we're basically going in blind. But we aren't going to be able to preserve Skylands with only thirty three Skylanders. Even with the small band of Elves out there and the twelve of us, we aren't going to be able to get far. We need reinforcements. And you and Jason both saw the starts of an Arkeyan invasion. There's no telling how many soldiers Draxx has on Earth. There's no telling how many people are left. I hate to be negative, but the ten of us might be the only humans left in existence. I'm praying that's not the case. But it will be if we stay in Skylands. If we stay here, the rest of the humans have no chance at all. We have to help. We have to try." Kelly shook her head, irritated.

"What are you going to do," she asked hotly, "when your Crystals run out of energy? Last time I checked, Earth wasn't very full of magic. You'll have no sources to draw from, unless you plan on coming back to the Core every time you need a refill, and you can only get so far without magic!"

"ENOUGH!" Eon roared as he flashed into sight. "No more bickering! Kelly, you are correct that there is little to no information on the condition of Earth, but we still must save it. As for the solution to your energy crisis, I had already thought of that. I gave the Swap Force seeds for the Elemental crops before I had to send them to Earth. If you can find them, you will have access to abundant energy. Also, since the Doorways have been opened, magic is slowly seeping back into Earth. And if you would stop fighting long enough to think, there probably are humans left."

"How do you figure?" John asked in a much calmer tone.

"Playing off of Kelly's theory that Draxx is indeed on your homeworld, you must ask yourselves, why would he go there?" John smirked.

"To lead his troops, obviously." John replied smugly.

"Ah, but what would he be leading his troops against? Keep in mind, the Skylanders are probably frozen." Now it was Eon who was smug.

"If he were called to lead, that might mean his troops were encountering heavy resistance from... People." John's jaw dropped, and his eyes were wide.

"Young Portal Masters, you must learn to read between the lines if you are to decipher the enemy." Eon said.

I spoke up, "So we're agreed? We're going to Earth?" I asked. Slowly, one by one, everyone nodded. "Alright. But first, we'll need to stop by the Citadel."

(Eon's Citadel, Leah's POV)

As we docked and met on the top deck, Maia addressed us. "I've been doing some thinking. We need to bring at least some Skylanders with us. But there's two problems. One, the _Innovater_ can't hold all thirty two, plus us. And two, we'll need some here to defend Skylands. We also need some Portal Masters to stay here..." Her voice trailed off, and all eyes turned to Jason and Kelly. Kelly spoke up right away.

"Oh no. No. Earth is our home as much as it is yours. You seem to forget that we've been on Earth since... Well, over a few thousand years." She was about to say something else, but Jason laid a hand on her shoulder, and she calmed down almost immediately.

"Kelly, they're right. Yes we have been on Earth since forever, but Skylands is our home. We know this world like the backs of our hands. They don't. And they probably know current Earth a little better than we do. We have to play this right, give each team the home field advantage. We need people on both ends if we're going to win this. Besides, you can't tell me you haven't missed Skylands." Kelly sighed and nodded, hanging her head. Maia lowered the boarding ramp and Hugo came to us as we stepped off.

"Portal Masters! Thank the Light you're okay! You had me so worried!" His glasses fell off his face and he scrambled on the ground to find them. I picked them up and handed them to the little Mabu with a smile. He thanked me, then turned to Aaron. "Aaron, is there any way I can be of assistance?" Aaron smiled and pointed at Maia.

"Umm... Actually, yes. The food stores on the ship need to be refilled, get somebody on that. Also, assemble the Skylanders in the courtyard. All of them." Hugo nodded and trotted off, diving into a small hole in the ground. Within a few minutes a team of Mabu started bringing food to the _Innovater_, and the Skylanders were assembled. Maia turned to us and said, "Oh, I forgot to tell you. You can only bring two Skylanders, and they'll probably have to room with you." Great. I walked over to the Air Skylanders. Their conversation ceased as I walked over.

"Hey guys. Maia says we're going back to Earth to check on things, and we need some Skylanders. Only catch is, we can only bring two and they'll have to room with us. Also, we don't know what to expect once we get there. There could be nothing, or we could walk into the biggest battle in the history of everything. And we don't know if there's any humans left, where the other Skylanders are, anything. So, yeah, we're going in completely blind. Any volunteers?" All four raised their hands. Well, Lightning Rod raised his hand, the others raised their feet. I smiled. "Well, I think Whirlwind might be of better use here since Ryan and Julia are coming with us. Sonic Boom, you'll be one. And... Lightning Rod, you'll be the second to come with me. If there is anyone left, I doubt they'll have any electricity." After that was settled, I looked around at my companions. Bruce had chosen Bash and Terrafin, John was bringing Flameslinger and Ignitor, Julia had Stealth Elf and Zook, Aaron picked Spyro and Voodood, Maia took Drobot and Drill Sergeant, Ryan was bringing Chop Chop and Cynder, and Lauren had Slam Bam and Wham-Shell. After our food was restocked, Maia talked to some General Robot guy, who hooked us up with some more bullets for the machine guns on the ship, as well as Maia's guns. He also threw in a cache of arrows for me. After that was all done and everyone went over their inventory a million times, we finally said our goodbyes and boarded. Once everyone was belowdecks, Jason and Kelly formed a vortex and the ship sailed through.

We rocketed down the tunnel that connected the two worlds, the ship bumping and lurching. I looked out the viewport as lights flashed by in every color of the rainbow. I'll admit, I was nervous. I didn't know what to expect. I didn't even know what to hope for. Suddenly, the ship slowed down dramatically... We had arrived. The Portal Masters all raced up to the top deck, and Maia took the helm. We were slowly descending through the clouds, which was super cold.

"Hey guys," Maia called out as we breached the last of the cloud cover "welcome... Home?"

It was devastating. We had emerged over a city... Or what was left. All the buildings had been reduced to rubble. One giant skyscraper had fallen over and lay on its side, little more than a blown-apart husk, a shadow of it's former glory. Light rain pelted the deck, but the air smelled of smoke through it. Fires still burned in places, and the water was a horrible brown-gray polluted color, littered with oil spills and weird objects bobbing on the water...

Corpses. Human corpses, hundreds of them, thousands. They were everywhere in the water. As we flew closer, I realized that it was not oil on the water, but blood. Blood and corpses and fire and rubble and destruction. I turned to Maia. "Where are we?" I choked out, fighting back the urge to throw up. She fiddled with a few buttons on her monitor, and then her eyes went wide, the blood rushing out of her face, tears beginning to stream.

"According to GPS, we're... This... This is New York City." Shocked, I frantically searched for Lady Liberty. I wished I hadn't. The statues head had been blown off, and the top part of her torso had been partially melted. I couldn't help it; I threw up over the railing, then collapsed. Everyone was crying, their faces pale in the dim light. There was no hope now. As I listened, I started crying more. There was no sound besides the rain. No mass of footsteps. No cars running. No horns. No pedestrians talking on the phone. It was silent. Completely silent. That's what brought the dread. This was supposed to be one of the loudest cities in America. But it was silent. Not a voice to be heard, just the rain falling on the deck, seeping through my clothes, freezing me. I stood up again, looking over the destroyed city, my gaze carefully avoiding the water...

* * *

**Hey guys, it's Dead. I finished this chapter, finally. It totals 21818 words! I'll be posting parts 3 and 4 today, so don't forget to leave a review! **


	22. Home? (Part 4)

**I have posted parts 3 and 4 today, so don't forget to check out part 3 first!**

* * *

(Leah's POV)

Suddenly, a huge explosion sounded deep inside the city, sending up a huge pillar of fire. We all jumped at the sound, but then yelled at Maia to head towards it. We scrambled to tighten our armor, tie our shoes, check our weapons. Maia called Drobot to the helm when we were about a mile and a half out.

"Take the ship," she said, "fly over the city a few times. Search for activity. For life. Keep the radio on, flip through channels, see if you can pick up any broadcasts. If you find anything, notify us. We'll keep our headsets on channel one." She tossed us each an earpiece as we arrived near the site of the explosion. Drobot brought us low enough that we could drop down onto a building. Maia brought out a pair of binoculars, looking at the explosion the crater made in the middle of the road about a half-mile away from us.

"What do you see?" John asked.

"I'm not entirely sure." She replied, "A bunch of scrap metal, black marks from the explosion, chunks of concrete that had been sent flying. We need to get closer to figure out what happened." She turned and looked around the roof, then pointed at the edge behind us. "There, we'll go down that crumbled wall and advance up the street, sticking close to the buildings on the right." We all nodded and slid down the wall. We started advancing down the street slowly, sticking to the shadows, checking every building we passed. It looked like the entire power grid went down, there wasn't a spark of electricity to be seen anywhere. As we got within a hundred feet of the crater, Maia whispered "Weapons free." I drew my bow, nocking an arrow. When we got close enough, Maia dashed to the edge of the crater and wiped up some of the residue. She returned to a standing position just as a blue crystal arrow shot from a building across the street and buried itself in the cement a millimeter from her boot. She yelled "OPEN FIRE" and started firing her rifle into the doorway. I launched a volley of arrows with her, but we stopped when we heard a lion's roar. A huge, golden lion came charging from the doorway, bearing a huge red crystal shield. I started to back up, but I was stopped by a huge, hooded figure in a red cloak with a purple staff. A giant Arkeyan wielding a black crystalline broadsword marched towards us, coming from down the way we had. We were completely trapped.

Just as the lion leapt and the staff-man swung, I yelled "STOP! WE'RE PORTAL MASTERS!" Everyone froze. All eyes turned to me. From across the street, a blue crocodile thing with a darker blue crystal bow emerged. I facepalmed. "These guys are the Trap Masters! Snap Shot, Wildfire, umm, Enigma, and... Krypt King was it? Guys, look, we're Portal Masters. Eon sent us." The Trap Masters stopped dead in their tracks, and all eyes turned to Snap Shot. He looked us over, judging us. His eyes widened as he caught sight of our Crystals. He nodded to his team mates and they all bowed to us. Which was weird.

"Oi, sorry mates." Said Snap Shot, standing and taking a step forward. "Didn't really mean to jump ya like that. We thought ya'd freeze up after mah' arrow, but crikey this little miss has got some trigger finger. Barely had time to move once I realized she'd be firin' on my poor hide. Thank ya, Wildfire, for savin my scrawny butt from the Portal Master." Wildfire nodded.

"We saw the explosion from our ship," Maia said, pointing at the crater. "Care to enlighten us?"

Krypt King spoke up. "Well, we had an ambush set up for an Arkeyan convoy that was heading this way. A couple pounds of plastic explosives on the road here, once they moved over it we'd blow it. But the way it happened was, as the convoy marched over this spot, we heard your engines. The Arkeyans deployed an anti-aircraft weapon, so we had to blow them to shreds before they shot you down. We didn't know if you were friendly or not. Well, once the explosives went off, they scrambled. We were expecting other friendlies to be Skylanders. We didn't think we'd see any humans above ground, besides the Darklings."

"Darklings?" I asked.

"We'll tell you later;" Krypt King said as he looked around, "night is upon us and the Arkeyans will surely send a whole squadron to investigate the explosion. We must evacuate the area and find shelter for the night. And I suggest you find somewhere to land your ship, there is no doubt in my mind the Arkeyans are tracking its movements." Maia nodded.

"Drobot, come in," She said into her earpiece, "you have to land the ship somewhere. And I want a watch set up, there's no telling what's out there. Bunker down for the night. Understood?"

"Affirmative." Drobot replied. Maia turned to Krypt King and nodded again.

"Okay, Drobot is going to set the ship down somewhere." Maia said. Snap Shot's ears perked up and his eyes narrowed. He motioned for silence, then headed into an alley between two buildings. We followed with Krypt King on the left, Wildfire on the right, and Enigma in the rear, like a convoy. We crawled over piles of rubble, through the dark skeletons of buildings, and finally we arrived at the door of a cellar. Snap Shot slowly opened it and dropped in, the rest of us following closely. Once Enigma closed the door, Wildfire raised his hand and a flame formed, illuminating a small cellar. The walls were lined with racks of garden tools, broken jars, and some smashed pottery. But as I looked at the wall furthest from the entrance. A tunnel had been dug out. Snap shot lead us through that tunnel, which connected to a complex array of other tunnels. Our path twisted and turned as Snap Shot guided us through the darkness, Wildfire's flame only lighting a few feet in front of us.

"How have the Arkeyans not found this? Who created this? Where are we going?" John blurted out, obviously eager for answers.

"Well mate, firstly, the Arkeyans aren't the brightest bunch o' bots. Outside of fighting, mind you. They have problems remembering anythin' underfoot most of the time." We came across a hallway with deep gouges in the walls. Laying on the ground was an Arkeyan with heavy dents in its armor. It looked at us, only one of its eyes still glowed. It tried to crawl to its sword that lay a few inches from it in the dirt, only one arm operational. Wildfire stepped on its head, crushing it.

"Most of the time..." He mumbled darkly. As we continued along the passage, we ran into more and more intersections. Each time we came to one, Snap Shot drew his bow and aimed both ways down the conjunction. I thought that was kind of weird.

"Hey, Snap Shot?" I asked after he did it for the hundredth time.

"Yes ma'am?" He replied. I laughed to myself at his formality.

"Can you see in the dark?" I asked.

"Nope."

"Then why do you keep checking the hallways as if you'll know what is down there?"

"Well, all of the Trap Team's Traptanium weapons have been enchanted by Eon himself. When we are near a creature with Darkness inside them, our weapons give off Light, allowin' for us to do a bit more damage against 'em. That's what makes tha Trap Team so good at trapping villains. You shoulda seen the way these puppies light up when that creep Kaos is around. But, going back to tha' question, I aim down the paths to see if there's any Darkness." I still had one question.

"What about the Arkeyans? Aren't they associated with the Darkness?" Snap Shot shook his head.

"So, what if there was a squad of them in the tunnels? Wouldn't we be screwed?" He laughed at that.

"Firstly, they have glowing eyes. Secondly, have you ever heard of a quiet Arkeyan?" I shook my head. He smiled and we set off again.

"So, where are we?" John asked again. This time, Krypt King replied.

"If I'm correct we are currently underneath an Arkeyan fortress, heading to one of our underground safe houses. We should be there in twenty minutes. He was right, within twenty minutes we arrived at a steel door with the numbers 6426 painted in in white paint. Snap Shot knocked, there was no reply. He turned a giant handle and shoved the door, it swung silently inwards as weapons were raised. After a moment, Snap Shot crossed the threshold and flipped a switch on the right. Bright fluorescent bulbs turned on, illuminating a small, furnished room, with a white tile floor. there was a small loveseat against the wall, a round kitchen table with a few chairs, and some cabinets set into the wall. There was also a sink, a fridge, a microwave, maps pinned up on the walls, and a small weapons rack decorated with swords, spears, shields, knives, and even a pump-action shotgun with a few bullets. Enigma came in last and closed the door.

"I know you're bursting with questions," Wildfire said, "and we'll get to it in a bit, but I also know that you're probably all starving. Believe it or not we've been walking for well over four hours." Admittedly I was pretty hungry. "Who wants burgers?" He asked. We all raised our hands. He pulled some hamburger meat out of the fridge and morphed it into little patties. But instead of putting them in the oven, he simply threw a fireball at them. they were Steaming within seconds, and Wildfire pulled buns, cheese, and condiments out of the fridge. We came up and made our burgers ourselves, eating off of paper plates. The Skylanders were the last to make their food. We sat wherever we could, some of us standing, as we ate. Once we all finished, Aaron was the first to speak up.

"I have a few questions. Let's start with the simplest. We thought all the Skylanders were frozen as toys. How are you guys free?"

"That's simple mate," Snap Shot replied, "nothing traps Traptanium!" Aaron smiled and nodded.

"Okay, next question..." His face became sorrowful and downcast "Are we the only humans left alive?"

Snap Shot shook his head. "No."

"Really?

"Really."

"Where are the other Skylanders?"

"With the Resistance."

"Who are the Resistance?"

"The rest of the humans." Aaron's eye's lit up as Snap Shot said this.

"Where are they? What's it like? When can we be there? How many people are there?"

"Easy now," Wildfire said with a laugh as he sat down on the ground, "gather round, it's story time." We sat in a circle around the giant lion.

"When we first arrived here on Earth we had been frozen too. The Giants, Swap Force, us, we were shrunk and frozen. This was during the early stages of the invasion. We had landed on a cliff overlooking a city that was eventually sieged. We saw the smoke rise. The fires burn. We watched the humans scatter and try to hide underground. We knew we had to find some way to help. But before we were able to do anything, an Arkeyan patrol found us, kidnapped us, and dragged us to their compound. That was a mistake. We spent two weeks there. They thought we were dead. The commander put us on his desk. That was another mistake. His office overlooked the training yard. We were able to observe Arkeyan combat strategies, tactics, and... Other things.

"The Arkeyans aren't the only threat out there. That fool Draxx has released other monstrosities on this world. Creatures of the Darkness. The only catch is that they will dissipate in sunlight. At night, the Arkeyans release these shadow demons to prey upon anyone above the surface. We've never gotten a clear look at them, but we believe they resemble dragons, or possibly wolves. Enough of that though. Once we had gathered enough intel, we staged our escape. One day, about an hour after the demons were back in their cages, we used the power of our Traptanium weapons to break the binding spell, returning us to normal size. Then we jumped about five stories into the courtyard after grabbing the rest and mad a mad dash for the gate. Within a minute we had a whole flock of Arkeyans in hot pursuit. Eventually we got out flanked and we were surrounded on all sides, the enemy closing in. Then, the strangest thing happened..." We were all leaning forward by now.

"We were saved. By humans. About ten of them, riding four-wheelers. They circled around the Arkeyans, blowing them apart with shotguns. We heard later that they were known as 'rednecks', whatever that means. I didn't think their necks were _that_ red." We all laughed as the Skylanders looked at us confused. I found it odd that even after everything we had seen today, we could still laugh...

"So, what happened next?" I asked.

"Well, after we took care of the Arkeyans with the help of the humans, they showed us one of the entrances to the Labyrinth- what they call all these tunnels. We followed them back to Haven City, the central hub of all human activity in this country, located underground in the geographical center if this country."

"An underground city..." Bruce breathed. "What's it like?"

"Don't get your hopes up," WIldfire replied, "it's not as grand as you'd think. Literally it's a bunch of shacks in a cave surrounding a natural lake. The cave isn't even that big. Last time we left, they were trying to find a way to get some electricity. Hopefully Jawbreaker and Gearshift were able to help out. And their military is all but disbanded. The army was deployed across the nation to help defend, but they only lasted about a day or two. They didn't think to go underground. They thought they'd be okay. Draxx's demons tore through them. Bullets don't stop shadows..." The temperature in the room seemed to drop.

"But surely your Traptanium can rip straight through those creatures, right?" Lauren asked with a shaky breath. Wildfire shook his head.

"We tried. Once. It was a terrible mistake. We stayed above ground and fought those demons. But even with Eon's enchantments on our weapons, we were outnumbered twenty to one. Knight Light was the only one of us who even landed a blow on them. We lasted an hour before we had to retreat. I doubt anything less than the Core itself would be a valuable weapon. That or one amazing Illumancer." My mind shot to Kelly and Jason. I wondered how they were doing. Without a Portal we have no way of communicating with them. Wildfire continued, "Heck, i'm not even sure we could move the Core. The only ones who have ever done it were the Super-" There was an audible _CRACK!_

"Don't you even bring up those lowlifes!" Snap Shot snarled, removing his fist from the crater in the wall he made. "I thought we agreed those SuperCharger scum were never to be spoken of!" I was taken aback by the venom in his voice. Lauren rocketed to her feet and laid her hands on the Trap Master's shoulders, even though he stood a good half foot taller than her.

"Snap Shot, calm down, what are you talking about? Who are the SuperChargers?" Lauren asked. He snarled and shrugged off her hands.

"A group of Skylander wannabes who came along a few years ago with tricked out vehicles. They 'saved everyone' by 'destroying the Darkness'. Yeah, I'll admit, they were useful when we went up against Kaos. But do you know what happened once everything settled down again? They got caught up in their moment of glory. They had fans all across the Skylands. Their egos got huge. Bigger than Flynn's. As soon as it was all over they gave up on being Skylanders. There wasn't enough fame or fortune in it any more. They all started racing. They gave up being Skylanders! FOR RACING!" He smashed his fist into the wall again. "The only good one out of the bunch was High Volt, and he went AWOL years ago. Everyone was disgusted with them. You should've seen Eon's face when they all resigned at once. For the next two weeks, he _personally _handled all emergency calls that came in, he was so furious. He Portaled himself all over the place to take out his anger on evil. Crime rates dropped for the next three months. I remember at one point there was a Cyclopes uprising, they were trying to take over. Those damned StupidChargers tried to go handle it, but they got their sorry butts handled to them. It only took half the Swap Force to put down the riots. Some of the SuperChargers retired from racing after that. Splat started painting. Smash Hit went back to demolition. Fiesta went back to being an Underworld greeter. The rest kept racing. They make me so furious... Anyway, you should sleep. We're moving out early tomorrow. I'll take first watch." He grabbed a water bottle from the fridge and dropped it into his messenger pouch, and a clinking noise sang out. He moved the bottle and looked into the bag.

"I almost forgot about this. Which one of ya' is supposed to be tha' Water Portal Master?" Lauren walked over to Snap Shot, who pulled a few crystals out of his pouch. "These 'ere are Traps. Very special Traps actually. In the hands of a Portal Master, they can do more than hold a baddie. Go ahead and pick one. Don't worry, they're empty." Lauren let her hand hover over the Traps, then carefully picked up one, examining it closely, then showing us. It looked like a head with a cork sticking out the top. "Mighty nice choice. That there's the Flood Flask. If I remember correctly, it'll give you an eternal source of water, just twist the cork. Give it a whirl. Over the sink, mind you." She walked over to the sink and gently twisted the cork. It came easily, and the flask started dripping. She loosened it a bit more and out came a steady stream. She tightened the cork and then dropped it into her pocket, thanking Snap Shot.

Wildfire produced three red Traps from lord knows where and presented them to John. He picked up one and twirled it in his finger, the light shining through. The Trap had two small spikes sticking out of either side, an orb on top of those, and three more fragments coming from the top. "The Fire Flower. It produces endless flame, but is very hard to control. It's best if you only use it in extreme emergencies." John nodded and let it fall into the pocket of his hoodie.

Krypt King was the next to produce Traps. Without hesitation Ryan grabbed a Trap that resembled a small hatchet. "Haunted Hatchet. Grows into an axe that can dissipate a spirit on contact. Against the living, it's just a giant Traptanium axe. Still effective, but messy." Krypt King said as Ryan nodded and dropped the Trap down his right sleeve. Weird.

Finally, Enigma produced his Traps. Aaron picked up a small, purple hourglass. "The Arcane Hourglass," Enigma stated, "will allow the user to slow down time, or speed up their own movements. But it only lasts temporarily. And _do not _try to stop or turn back time completely. This Trap is perhaps the most dangerous one in all of existence. Be very careful." Enigma warned. Aaron nodded. Snap Shot unlatched the heavy steel door, walked out, and shut it behind himself. I looked at the stove's clock. 10:00. I settled down in the corner of the room to the left of the door, and quickly fell asleep.

* * *

I walked through a dead forest, in the middle of the night. The bright, full moon showed overhead, but the sky was starless. I kept walking along this path, weaving in and out of trees, ducking under branches, until I came upon a cliff, overlooking a black sea that reflected no light. It was a sea of Darkness. It called to me, gently whispering my name as the breeze brushed past my ear. It made promises. Promises of power. Of wealth. Love. Happiness. It promised me all my hopes and dreams. All I had to do was jump in. Jump in the sea, and have all my wishes come true. I took a step closer to the edge. The Darkness rose up. I took another step. Again the sea level rose. I turned my head around, behind me were my friends. They were on the other side of a glass wall,pounding on it, yelling. I heard nothing. I took a step away from the cliff. My friends turned. A huge, shadowy titan loomed over them. My friends started to fight the titan. But it was no use. They needed me. I reached for my bow. It was gone. My weapons, my armor, my Crystal. It was all gone. I turned to face the Darkness again. It had risen up, a huge wall of shadows, with glowing purple eyes.

"Use me..." It whispered. "Use my power... Your friends need you... Let me help you..." I started once again towards the cliff, then stopped.

"No." I said, facing the wall of inky Darkness. It hissed.

"You are nothing! Worthless! Weak! You will die, along with all of your friends! You are a weakling! Air is the least powerful of the Elements... You are nothing to them! This is your last warning... Join me or die, you stupid Portal Master!" The wind started to stir. I looked over at my friends, still helpless against the shadow titan, then back at the Darkness. And the wind rose. And rose. And I rose with it. I became encased inside a tornado. My entire body started glowing with energy. I called a lightning bolt down from the sky, and it struck the Darkness between the eyes. It hissed again and reeled back, then rose even more until it started to form the shape of a man, twenty stories tall. But it could not, and the mass fell and spilled over the land, shadows rippling over everything.

"I may not have the power to crush you myself... But I know what can..." It laughed and the sound echoed throughout the land. Dark creatures rose from the shadows. Hydras, snakes, wolves... Spiders. They swarmed towards my friends. Towards the other Portal Masters. The glass wall fell, and the Dark creatures overwhelmed everyone, tearing them apart limb from limb. I tried to move, but I couldn't. My energy was fading fast. The tornado disappeared as I fell into the black, surrounded by Darkness.

* * *

I woke up with a start in pitch black and tears immediately sprung to my eyes. I started to scream, but my mouth was covered. "Shh, it's okay..." Ryan whispered into my ear as he took his hand away from my mouth. He wrapped his arms around me and I started crying into his shoulder while he held me. "It's okay, you're okay, you're safe now, I promise."

"No!" I whispered fiercely, my body trembling. "It's not okay! The dark! The Darkness!" He wrapped his arms around me tighter and I clung to him unthinking.

"It's okay, let's just go outside where we can have a light." He stood and practically picked me up with him, walking over to the door and opening it silently. Snap Shot stood guard outside, an arrow nocked on his bowstring. Ryan tapped him on the shoulder and the Trap Master whirled. Ryan leaned forward and whispered into his ear. Snap Shot nodded and yawned, heading inside. Ryan led me a little farther down the corridor, and sat me down gently. Within a few minutes he had lit a fire. He sat down next to me, not making eye contact or touching me at all. A minute went by without either of us saying a word. I curled up and leaned my head on his shoulder, and he tentatively put an arm around me.

"It's okay, you know. I'm not going to bite you." I said with a laugh. I looked up at him, still dressed completely in black, still hooded. It seemed like he always had a hood on. I wondered if he slept with it on.

"I know, I know, I just... I've never really been accepted. By anybody. Guys, girls, especially girls. Nobody likes me. I've always been a freak. I guess I'm only more of a freak now." The young Necromancer said. I laid a hand on his chest and his visibly stiffened.

"You aren't a freak. You're a badass. And I bet you're a sweetheart under that black cloak." He laughed a little at my response.

"Me? A badass? Right." He was slowly relaxing.

"You're totally a badass. You're a great fighter, a damn good surgeon from what I've seen, you're practically a ninja the way you can move silently without being seen, and you aren't afraid of anything. Except me, apparently." I said with a laugh. He laughed too. It was a rich baritone, filling the corridor. I loved it. "I just thought of something," I said, "how did you know I was awake?"

"I knew you were awake because I was awake. I don't sleep much, and I'm a pretty light sleeper. You started kicking and thrashing about, so I knew you were having a nightmare. What happened?" He asked. I recounted my nightmare to him. The forest, the shadow titan, the Dark creatures. I left out their deaths and the Darkness trying to rise. I curled up closer to him and he held me tighter.

"I'm sorry," He said, "that had to be rough." I nodded. We sat there in silence for a while, his arms around me, my head on his chest. Then, very faintly, I heard a scratching noise coming from a place down the tunnel. It slowly came closer and closer. I looked up at Ryan, he seemed to be asleep. I slowly crawled out of his grasp and stood up, moving closer to the edge of the light.

"Hello?" I called into the dark. Maybe it's someone who needed help. The scratching sound stopped for a second, then sped up, like someone was running to me. Then, out of the darkness, came the giant head of a spider. I screamed out loud and tried to back up but I fell on my butt. I'm terribly arachnophobic. I tried standing again, but the spider came even closer. It was almost as tall as me, and hopped on one leg placed directly under the torso. It was looking straight at me. I screamed again. Then it was blocked from my vision. By Ryan. He stood between me and the spider, his only weapon a dagger he drew from his belt. The spider stood still for a moment, assessing Ryan. Ryan tried to dart forward and close the distance, but the spider backflipped. Its leg had short razors on it, which caught Ryan in the face and ripped his hood. Ryan fell down and the spider tried closing the distance. I managed to stand and throw a wind at it, knocking it back a few feet. Ryan rolled forward with dagger again and managed to swing his dagger at the spiders leg. It struck and and stayed in the leg. Ryan had to roll backwards to avoid another backflip. He stood up and dropped something into his hand.

He ran forwards again as the Haunted Hatchet grew and took shape. One axe cleave later the spider was decapitated. Ryan stood there, shakily. He then shrunk the Trap back down and grabbed his dagger. He turned to face me. His hood had been ripped above his forehead and was useless, so he threw it back. This was the first time I had really seen his face. Blond hair, piercing gray eyes, a strong jaw, and a bloody gash from his right cheek to the left of his forehead, thankfully missing his eye. I rushed to him and put his arm around my shoulder, helping him back to the bunker. I pounded on the door and Snap Shot opened it. He took one look at us and rushed us inside. Before he shut the door, he took one of his arrows and fired it down the hallway. It stayed unlit. He flipped the light on and some of the others flinched and complained, woken from their sleep. But Snap Shot immediately went to work, grabbing a wash cloth and running cool water over it. He wiped the blood from Ryan's cuts while I helped hold him up. Then he rummaged through some cabinets and brought of bandage pads and ointment. He smeared the ointment on the bandages and looked Ryan in the eye.

"This could sting. A lot. If it does, it means the ointment is working and cleaning the wound."

"And if it doesn't sting?" Ryan asked, his voice hoarse. His forehead started to bleed again, I wiped it with the rag.

"If it doesn't sting," Snap Shot replied, "that means it's fighting an infection." Ryan gave a short bark of laughter.

"So hope it hurts." Ryan said as he ground his teeth and nodded. Snap Shot placed the first bandage on his cheek, and Ryan inhaled sharply. We gave him a minute, then placed the second bandage on his head. He cried out in pain and almost collapsed. We led him over to a chair and sat him down. By know everybody was awake and bombarding us with questions about what happened. He looked at me for a second, then started to speak.

"We were both awake, so we decided to go outside and talk, get to know eachother some. Eventually she heard something coming down the tunnel towards us. It was a one-legged spider. We fought and killed it, but not before it kicked me in the face. Tore my hood too."

"Yeah, I bet you were really 'getting to know eachother'." Bruce said laughing. I felt my cheeks flush. Ryan drew his dagger slowly, letting the sound ring through the air. His eyes were locked on Bruce. When the knife was out, he held it so the point faced Bruce. It still dripped spider blood. Neither said anything, just locked eyes. Then Ryan drew a rag from his inside cloak pocket and started cleaning the blade, still staring intently. Snap Shot cleared his throat.

"We woulda come an' helped ya, but tha' bunker's sound proof." Ryan just shrugged. Snap Shot looked at the time. "Well, it's about daylight now, so I guess tha' spider found it's way underground to escape tha' light. Speaking of light, we should probably get moving, it should be safe enough." We got ready again, checking weapons, tightening armor, tying boots. Maia slipped her earpiece back in.

"_Innovater_, come in. Did you make it through the night okay?" Maia asked. There was silence for a second, then Chop Chop's voice crackled through.

"No casualties or conflict of any kind. Where are you? Are you with the others?" Chop Chop asked.

"We've met up with four of the Trap Masters, and we're holed up in a bunker, about to come to you. Ryan's been hurt-"

"I'm fine, it's just a scratch." Ryan interrupted.

"What happened?" Chop Chop sounded concerned. He was a loyal Skylander, and a good person.

"I ran into a one-legged spider," Ryan informed him, "It kicked me. Luckily I was able to turn my head away from it enough that it only caught my cheek and forehead."

"Anyway," Maia said, "we're going to be coming to you soon. Where are you guys at?"

"Mistress Maia," Drobot's robotic voice cut in, "life scans have located a human near your position, above ground. I advise an investigation, despite Ryan's injury."

"It's just a scratch!" Ryan objected.

"Drobot, send the coordinates to my phone. We're going to check it out." Maia stated firmly. No one objected.

* * *

After Drobot sent the location, we got above ground and started heading towards it. We walked for about five miles, carefully avoiding any Arkeyans we came across. We didn't need to draw any attention. We were lead to a tall stone building, two stories high. Soot and ash covered the gray stone. A huge portion of the ground floor wall had been blown up, and there was a hole in the top floor wall as well. We slowly advanced through the hole in the ground floor wall. It was pitch black inside. We walked over the crumbled stone that lay on the ground, and I spotted an open doorway at the back of the room we were in. As we got closer to the light I was able to make out my surroundings. It seemed to be an office that we were in, there were upturned desks, thrown chairs, computers on the ground.

And bodies. More bodies, more human corpses. Ryan rushed over to the nearest one, a business man in a suit. There was a gray glow as Ryan touched the man's head. "His spirit is already gone. It usually takes at least an hour for it to fully leave the body. His throat was slashed, and he was beaten. Looks like he's been dead for at least a day." We started to turn and leave when, faintly, beyond the door, we heard a woman crying. We rushed to the door, vaulting over desks and other debree. The fire escape led into an alleyway. A woman sat on her knees with her head in her hands, sobbing. Her hair was the same shade of brown as Maia's, except longer. She wore a light gray hoodie, blue jeans, and tattered tennis shoes.

"Are you okay?" Maia asked the woman, taking a step forward. The girl spun around and flinched away from us, crawling backwards.

"Don't hurt me! Please!" She yelled, covering her face.

"Calm down," Maia said as she raised her hands to show we meant no harm, "we're here to help. Can you tell me your name?" The girl uncovered her face. She had glasses, brown eyes that looked just like Maia's, and looked at us fearfully.

"My name? I'm... I'm Samantha." There was a collective gasp and all eyes turned to Maia. She stood there in shock. Looking back at her, I noticed Samantha looked strikingly similar to Maia. She seemed to notice it too, because she stood up and started blinking, like she didn't believe her eyes. "M-Maia?" She asked. Then the two ran towards each other and wrapped each other in a bear hug.

"Oh my God Sam I thought you were dead! Where on Earth have you been all these years?" Maia was crying as she hugged her big sister to her. They let go and Sam took Maia's hands in hers.

"That's the thing, I haven't been on Earth! The day I ran away... I was super depressed and mad at mom and dad. So I ran away. And of course there were cops after me. So I hid in the sewer. But it was raining hard that day. The sewer suddenly started to flood, and the current was carrying me away. I was completely underwater and I was drowning. Then something snapped inside me. Something clicked. I opened a Portal and I got teleported to Skylands, where I was taken as an apprentice to the greatest Portal Master of all time..." Her expression went from positively joyful to hard and cruel. She sneered. "I was taken as an apprentice to Draxx." She let go of Maia's hands and her fists glowed black. She punched her sister in the chest, sending her flying. Suddenly, the Trap Team's Traptanium weapons glowed as brightly as the sun, blinding us. When the light died down, I looked at Samantha again. She floated in the air, surrounded by Darkness. Her clothes morphed into a long black dress, adorned with jewels and Petrified Darkness.

"I missed you, little sister," Samantha said with sarcasm, locking eyes with Maia and grinning cruelly, "mom and dad did too, they were so worried. When I first found them, they were overjoyed. It was too bad that the Master needed them on the war front. Oh, you should've seen dad's face when mom was shot. Priceless!" She doubled over, laughing.

"YOU BITCH!" Maia screamed at the top of her lungs. She brought up her rifle and fired at her sister. John's Fire Flower shot flame, Lauren's Flood Flask released a torrent of water, Bruce threw boulders, Snap Shot and I launched a volley of arrows, and Ryan shot black lightning from his hand. None of it touched her. It all stopped in the air in front of her. She held her hand forward, controlling everything. Then she twirled her hand around. The arrows turned to face us. The fire took on a purple glow. The water started to boil. The lightning crackled more fiercely. She sent our own attacks flying back at us. I used sent a gale of wind to divert the arrows. Lauren stifled the flame and John evaporated the water. Bruce raised a huge wall to block the boulders. When he lowered it again, Samantha was gone.

"Drobot..." Maia said into the headset with a shaky breath, "Come get us. We're done here."


	23. Road to Haven

**Road to Haven**

**(The **_**Innovater**_**, Aaron's POV)**

I gently knocked on the door to Maia's room. I heard some sniffling from within, a few sobs, then finally she called for me to come in. I opened the door to see her curled up in a ball on her bed. Her eyes were bloodshot, her hair was a mess, and she couldn't stop crying. I closed the door, set down the tray I was carrying, walked over to the bed and took her into my arms. She cried into the shoulder of my t-shirt for about ten minutes, then she finally pulled away, sliding her hand into mine.

"I brought you breakfast." I said, and levitated the tray over. It was laden with scrambled eggs, bacon, pancakes, and coffee with sugar only, just the way she liked it. She looked at the tray and simply shook her head no. "You have to eat Maia," I pleaded, "you haven't touched food in two days. Or showered. And i've had to practically force you to even drink water. Please, honey, eat." I could feel myself tearing up just looking at her. She was dead inside. No energy. No strength. She was drained. Ever since we ran into Samantha, she had done nothing but sat in her room and cried. I silently vowed to make Samantha pay for hurting Maia the way she did. "Please..." I begged again. I was crying myself now. She looked at me, then the food. She gingerly picked up the fork and took a small bite out of the eggs.

**(Maia's POV)**

After that first bite of food, I realized just how ravenously hungry I was. Although I had to choke most of it down, I managed to finish it all and washed it down with the coffee. As I was eating, Aaron had gotten up and started rummaging through my closet, picking out clothes for me to wear. I looked down and realized that I hadn't changed clothes since...

_Stop it_, I scolded myself mentally, _don't even think about it_. He tossed me a plain grey t-shirt, blue jeans, and a leather jacket.

"Go shower," he jerked his thumb to the adjoining bathroom, "I'll wait for you." I found myself smiling at his care and concern and I nodded, picking up the clothes and heading into the bathroom. I closed the door behind me and set my clean clothes on the counter next to the sink. I took my hair out of its ponytail and stripped down, stepping into the shower and turning on the water. I cranked the heat so high the water stung when it touched my skin. After I finished and toweled off, I dressed again and started to attack my hair with a brush. There was a knock on the bathroom door and I opened it to let Aaron in. He came in and leaned on the counter with a small smile, watching as I brushed my hair roughly. He walked over and gently took the brush from my hands.

"You're being too rough sweetie." He started brushing my hair for me, gently, and whenever he came across a knot he gave a sharp, quick tug. After he had finished, he took my hair and put it into a ponytail.

"You're so sweet," I said, leaning into him as he hugged me, "how can I repay you?"

"Smile." He said with a small grin as he kissed the top of my head, looking at me in the mirror. I couldn't help it, I had to smile at him. He took my hand and lead me out of the bathroom, picking out a pair of tennis shoes for me. I sat on the foot of my bed, him next to me with an arm around me as I tied the laces. Once I was ready, he took my hand in his again and led me into the mess hall, where everyone was still socializing.

The main table had been pushed aside, and there were multiple games out. Bruce and Terrafin versed John and Flameslinger in foosball, Julia and Lauren sat at the table, talking and giggling with their Skylanders, Drobot and Drill Sergeant played holographic chess, the other Skylanders were playing pool, and in the far corner of the room, Leah sat holding the hand of a blond guy in a black cloak. I was about to ask who it was, but then I remembered Ryan's encounter with the spider. It's going to take some getting used to, not seeing him with a hood on. He's usually so mysterious and secretive. But then a bigger fact hit me. He was not only holding Leah's hand, but smiling too. Aaron managed to sidestep just in time for Lauren to plow into me and wrap me in an enormous bear hug.

"You're back!" She squealed, laughing. I couldn't help but to chuckle a bit as I hugged her back. She followed my gaze over to Ryan and Leah. "Yeah, they're a thing now. It's so weird. He gives me the creeps. But they seem to make eachother happy. And he hasn't even worn a hood since they started dating. Double weird. I don't entirely trust him..." She concluded and bit her lip a little.

"Why don't you?" Aaron asked, lacing his fingers in mine.

"He's creepy." Lauren stated. "And besides, how many good guys out there can summon zombies and skeletons and stuff? Undead is creepy, he's creepy, I don't like him." She stared after the couple. "Why couldn't Leah have picked someone normal, like Bruce or John?" I glanced over at Aaron, he seemed genuinely peeved off.

"Seriously?" His voice cut through the air sharply, a cold glint in his normally warm eyes. Lauren actually flinched and took a step back. I had never seen him so angry. "Someone _normal_? In case you haven't noticed, nobody in this damn room is _normal_!" He practically hissed, not wanting to yell and draw attention. "Ryan is a Portal Master, like the rest of us. He's got a good head on his shoulders, he's one of the best fighters we have, and he _does not_ need your negativity! I don't care if YOU like him or not, it's Leah's choice who she dates, not yours! I will NOT allow any infighting in this team, so drop the attitude!" He let go of my hand, spun sharply, and marched out of the room. I wanted to collapse, I felt so alone without him. I looked Lauren in the eye. She was crying softly. Feeling torn, I started to chase after Aaron. He stood at the bow of the ship on the top deck, hands folded behind his back. I approached him slowly, making enough noise for him to know I was there.

"What's wrong?" I asked as I stood beside him, "You've never snapped on anyone like that. Something's got to be on your mind."

"I'm just..." he started quietly, "I'm just afraid."

I was taken aback. "Afraid of what?" I asked, laying a hand on his arm. He stood in silence for a moment, then let his arms release and I slipped my hand into his. He squeezed tightly.

"I'm afraid of so many things. I'm afraid of what we'll find in Haven. I'm afraid of losing you. I'm afraid of failure. I mean, look at us; we're just kids. I think the oldest one here is John, and he's just twenty. We're just eight kids trying to save two worlds. Countless lives depend on the decisions we make. We don't know anything. We can't even use magic by ourselves! Without these Crystals we're powerless!" I thought about what he was saying. He was right. We really are just a bunch of kids with some magic spells. "Now look at Draxx," he continued, "He has years and years of experience and planning, he's got the entire Darkness at his back. He could kill us with a snap of his fingers. The best we've got is rocket launchers and fireballs. We're alone we're weak and I'm so afraid that we're going to fail and everybody is going to die."

"We aren't alone, okay?" I stated. "We have Kelly. And Jason. And the Skylanders. And the Resistance. And Eon, the greatest Portal Master that's ever existed. And yeah we're young and we've just realized our roles but look at what we've accomplished. We've stopped an entire army. We survived an Arena. In the Outlands. We've defeated Arkeyans, Drow, Trolls, Chompies, Geargolems, we even went toe-to-toe with Samantha and made it out alright. We've killed Draxx's elite, the Mages. We killed them twice now, and one of them isn't coming back. Yes we're young and yes we haven't figured out our powers yet but we're doing okay and we aren't alone." He squeezed my hand tightly and smiled. I smiled back and hugged him. We stood there for a few minutes, in eachothers arms. It was almost noon, and I kept my eyes on the sky, rather than the land below. A thought struck me.

"Wait, so the Resistance is centered underground, right?" I asked. Aaron looked at me, thought for a moment, and nodded. "So then where are we going to keep the ship?"

"I think I have an answer for that." Krypt King said as he exited the cockpit behind us. "I've been looking at the latest maps of the surrounding area and the blueprints of the ship. There's a reservoir not far from the town of Lebanon, only thirty eight miles or so. We can submerge the ship and walk to Lebanon, then travel to Haven City. We can land in about ten minutes and have the ship sealed off in another ten, then get to walking."

I let go of Aaron and took a step towards the Arkeyan, crossing my arms over my chest. "You expect me to sink my ship? My. Ship. Underwater. You're funny, you know that?" He shook his head a bit at me.

"I know it's... Unconventional, but it's the best defense we have. We don't know how long we'll be away from the ship, and if it's above ground it will be susceptible to attacks from the Darklings and their shadow beasts. Underwater is the best bet, unless you want your ship destroyed." I scowled. He was making sense. That irked me.

"Fine," I huffed, "but if anything happens to it you will be held completely responsible!" I warned. The Arkeyan just nodded, not really scared at all. That irked me more. I strode up to the cockpit, stepped inside and grabbed the intercom mic. "Attention, we'll be landing in roughly eight minutes. Check your weapons, get your gear, but pack light, we've got a long walk ahead of us. Then close all exterior windows and hatches and report up top. That is all." I walked back over to Krypt King and said "What's the enemy activity like in this area?"

"The area surrounding Haven is mostly controlled by bandits, above ground at least. Obviously the Resistance has control underground. But Draxx's forces are very scarce in this area due to the lack of natural resources and, well, anything valuable to him. Of course he razed the area once or twice with his bombers, but other than that the only major base is in the capital of the state, Topeka, some two hundred miles away from Haven. There are minor fortresses scattered about the area, but nothing within a fifty mile radius. Like I said, the region is predominantly bandit controlled."

"Okay," I said, "as far as the bandits go, what are we up against, what equipment do they have, how many are there? I need to know as much as possible." If we're going to encounter them, I need to know what to expect. Otherwise we'll be easy prey for an ambush. "Oh, and vehicles. What do those bandits have car wise? What does the Resistance have?"

"The bandits and the Resistance both have some civilian vehicles, though not many lasted Draxx's bombers. The bandits in the area have mostly trucks, cars, and motorcycles. No aerial or aquatic transportation. The Resistance also has civilian vehicles, but we have also managed to salvage a news chopper and a few military grade Jeeps, around fifty or so. We also have anything that the Mechies manage to cook up." Now I was confused.

"What are Mechies?" I asked. He simply chuckled.

"It's a slang term. Anyone with an alignment to the Tech element usually falls into a subgroup- either Techies or Mechies. The Mechies are mechanics, gunsmiths, architects, the like. Techies on the other hand are coders, hackers, electricians, and so on and so forth. The Mechies are militaristic, and the Techies do mostly intel things. Hacking security cameras, tracking power flows, sending out recon drones."

"Okay, so what's the Resistance like? Government-wise, I mean."

"The Resistance is made up of eight guilds, each with an elected Guild Leader and a Guild Hall somewhere. The Guild Leaders act as governors over their Guild Hall and the area surrounding. The Guild Leaders come together to form a parliament and elect a Major. Majors are comparable to a president. Together, the Guild Leaders and the Major do things like discuss war strategies, manage resources, and generally try to help the human population of North America survive. The current Major is Taylor Mars, a powerful Binary Technomancer."

Now I was REALLY confused. "What exactly is a Binary Technomancer?" I questioned. Before Krypt King was able to answer, I heard a beep from the console in the cockpit. I walked back over to it to see that we were only two minutes away from the reservoir. I grabbed the intercom again. "Batten down the hatches and get up top. Now." I ordered. Then I eased the throttle lever back a bit and dipped the bow so we were heading for the reservoir at an angle. As everyone emerged on the top deck, I finally took a look around. The compass said we were approaching from the northeast. There was the reservoir, dead ahead. It would easily hold our ship multiple times over. A small peninsula jutted out from the northern shore, with an aboned rec center placed there.

"We're going to land by that rec center and check for survivors before we do anything else!" I called out to the Portal Masters and Skylanders assembled on the deck. There was a chorus of agreement as I angled the bow even further downward towards the water.

**(Kelly's POV)**

I raised my sword above my head, blade parallel to the ground. The Drow's spearhead crashed into it, and he applied more and more leverage to try to force me to the ground. I outstretched my wings and flapped hard, sending the Drow stumbling backwards into a tree and me backflipping through the air. I flapped once more and rocketed straight towards the Drow, my sword point aimed straight for his heart. He saw me and let his body go limp, collapsing to the ground and rolling away. My blade bit into the thick bark of the tree as the Drow returned to his feet. I tried yanking my sword out, but to no avail. The Drow slashed at me with his boot dagger, the blade catching my wing even as I tried to back away. Blood seeped from the wound and I screamed in pain; it definitely caught muscle. It was time to end this. I slid mirrors from my gauntlets into my palms and redirected the light, temporarily blinding him. He covered his eyes with one arm and backed away, making sloppy slashes as he retreated. I sent a pure beam of Light energy at him from my fists. His body evaporated before the onslaught. I stood panting for a second, then ripped my sword out of the tree and returned it to its sheath hanging at my side. It's definitely going to need to be sharpened later.

An explosion rang out above me, and I looked up at the treetops of the forest. A village was built into the side of one of these great trees, supported by both the natural branches and the unnatural wooden pikes that were driven into the bark of the tree, with plans forming walkways that wrapped around the tree trunk. Explosions up there might collapse the village, or even start a wildfire. I flapped my wings and took off a few feet, though blood spurted from the wound. I landed hard, panting. I'm not flying anywhere until that cut gets patched up. I took off at a sprint towards the base of the tree. Once I reached it, I stretched my foot out and kicked upwards, moving up the tree. I used a combination of kicking, pushing, and short wing flaps to get myself up the tree, which took about three straight minutes. When I reached the top my hands were blistered and bloody, and my jeans had ripped in multiple places. I hadn't had time to actually suit up in armor before I left, and neither had Jason. Hugo had simply rushed into Eon's Citadel and said that there had been reports of smoke rising above the forest elf village of CalmLeaf, and we needed to get out there right away. So here I was, in the middle of a battle, wearing nothing more than a white tank top, skinny jeans, and cowboy boots, along with my sword and gauntlets, which I went no where without.

_BOOM_!

I was thrown backwards as a mine exploded a few feet in front of me. My back crashed against the guardrail and all the oxygen left my body. I slumped down to my knees for a moment and threw my arm across my chest, trying to catch my breath. A huge hole gaped in the walkway where the mine had exploded. I managed to catch my breath and I stood, drawing my sword. I started towards the hole and a Drow popped out of the doorway of a house across from me. He pulled the pin of a grenade and tossed it at me. I swung with my sword and batted it back with the flat of my blade. It soared through the air and struck the evil ninja in the chest, then promptly detonated, leaving a gory mess. I cringed and stumbled backwards. I looked ahead of me, the walkway I was on wrapped halfway across the trunk of this tree and a bridge connected it to the next little neighborhood. It was there that most of the fighting was taking place.

Drow armed with spears and swords were on the frontlines of the battle, with archers standing back around the middle of the bridge, taking shots to try and peg any reinforcements that came around the side of the platform that also wrapped around the tree. The Drow were met by elven warriors, also armed with swords but without archers. In all, there were maybe twenty five elves and forty to fifty Drow, which was quite a large force. The elves and Drow were about evenly matched warriors, but the Drow were still managing to push the elves backwards through sheer force of numbers. I started sprinting and jumped over the hole in the walkway, then rushed towards the Drow archers. Five of them stood in a row, and I shoved my sword straight through the back of the middle one, and the other four turned to me startled. I immediately punched the one to my left between the eyes, and he crumpled to the ground. I blasted one approaching on my right with Light before I was forced to retreat away backwards.

The two archers had dropped their bows and drawn heavy-bladed daggers from their belts. My sword was still in the back of their fellow archer, and I was feeling drained from using so much magic. I got into a battle stance, my right arm placed diagonally in front of my chest, with my fist in front of my mouth. My left hand was horizontal in front of my waist, and I had a wide stance, left foot forward. The first Drow swung at me with the blade in his right hand, but I brought my left up to knock his hand away, then kicked him in the temple with my right foot. While my back was turned, the other Drow had snuck up behind me. He kicked the back of my knee and I went down hard. He then forcefully grabbed me by the hair and yanked backwards, bringing his knife up to try and slash my throat. I brought my arms up and grabbed his wrist to try and halt the approach of the blade, but I was so tired and weak. Closer and closer came the blade. My eyes crossed as it drew nearer, I was certain I would die. I felt the cold sting of the knife as it touched my throat. Then, suddenly, it stopped. The Drow fell to the ground and I spun around and crawled away from him. An arrow sprouted from his head, one with an oaky shaft and leafy green fletching. I shakily rose to my feet and turned back to the fighting. Now the fight was about even, thirty five on each side, with more elves pouring in to reinforce. I retrieved my sword and and started to slowly pace towards the rear of the Drow. Jason landed in front of me, looking completely unscathed. His hair was still neatly brushed, his dark purple tee unwrinkled, the black dress shirt he wore over it still buttoned up halfway.

"You look like crap." He said with a smirk.

"You look like you've just been sitting around." I retorted. Then he held up his sword. It was relatively new and razor sharp, with the leather wrapping on the hilt intact. We had both gone shopping for weapons and armor a few days ago. Its' blade was made of a black metal, with serrations like dragon teeth along the edges, ending in a classic broadsword point. I could see splatters of blood dripping down the blade.

"Oh no, Styx here has been put to work, and performing beautifully. How's Sunrider faring?" He asked. Stx was his sword, and Sunrider was mine. I held it up, it was a basic short sword, the blade tapering inwards towards the middle and broadening at the tip, with a golden bronze blade and an oak hilt. It had multiple knicks, and one huge dent where I had caught the Drow's spearhead.

"Well, I'm going to be spending some time sharpening her and researching some enchantments to harden the blade. I think the blade actually is a bronze-gold alloy. That would explain the dents. Other than that, she's doing well enough, considering what I've put her through. I still need to try and cast magic through her." I looked forward on the path, it seemed like the Elves have driven the Drow away without too many casualties. The captain of the guard came jogging towards us, stopping and saluting.

"Thank you, Portal Masters. It's been an honor to fight by your side, and I doubt we could've won this by ourselves. I've already arranged for our firefighters to start putting out the flames, and the Drow are already in full retreat. You've saved us Portal Master, thank you."

In all honesty I didn't really think we 'saved them' per se. But we had helped out. One thing really bugged me though. "Those Drow were attacking with explosives, which is something highly against their traditional ways. Is there anything you can tell us about the matter?" I asked.

"Not really." The Elf captain answered. "We were as surprised as you were. All I really know is they weren't trained to use them, even though they had a lot. Grenades strapped to arrows, charges designed to start fires placed haphazardly. It was obviously the first time they had used them, judging by their performance."

"Fire charges?!" I shrieked, turning back to the house near where the mine had been. A huge pillar of fire erupted from the doorway, setting the walkway in front alight. Then more charges detonated in the houses next door, the entire neighborhood catching fire, which spread to the tree itself.

"GET OFF THE BRIDGE!" I screamed at the top of my lungs , and turned to run. Weakened by the flames, the bridge started to collapse. Everyone fled to the next tree as the flames ate up more and more of the bridge. The flames would soon reach us if we didn't do anything.

"Kelly, give me your sword!" Jason yelled over the roaring flames and creaking wood. I handed my sword to him as he drew his own. He wedged the tips of the blades between two boards and started to push. The flames rushed closer. He heaved even more, and the wood groaned. He decided to change tact and moved between the swords, putting his back to the flames, and pulled. Before I could react, the bridge supports gave out and fell, with Jason on top. I rushed to the edge and peered over, but the air was becoming thicker and thicker with smoke. The captain pulled me back from the edge, and screamed something at me. I shook his hand off and started sprinting, preparing to leap after my friend. But as I reached the ledge again, Jason rose out of the smoke, a sword in each hand. His clothes were singed in multiple places now, his face speckled with soot. He landed hard on the walkway, leaning on my sword. He favored his right leg, putting all the weight on his left. Besides the fact that he held a sword in both hands, I ran forward and wrapped him in a hug. He drove Styx into the wood and wrapped one arm around me.

"What's wrong?" He asked innocently. I glared up at him and punched his shoulder, causing him to grin. Then the smile faded as he began to cough. The air was becoming smokier by the second. "We need to evacuate the village!" He shouted to all the elves assembled. They were openly crying, their watery eyes reflecting the raging flames as they stared on with dismay. The elves began to run, slowly at first, then with growing intensity like the flames. Some quickly ran into their homes and grabbed a few precious possessions, others stopped to pray before fleeing.

* * *

**I am really sorry about how late this update is, and how short it is too.**

**-DeadPortal**


	24. Safe Haven

**Safe Haven**

**(Aaron's POV)**

Snap Shot led the way down a highway as the other Portal Masters and I clumped in the middle, the other Skylanders spread out around us in a protective circle. Even though we hadn't seen any Darklings or Arkeyans, Snap Shot was adamant about our security. It was only eight in the morning, but we had already been moving for an hour. The heat was rising, and Snap Shot had told us it was roughly going to be a two-hour was going to be a roughly two-hour walk, Snap Shot had told us. As we walked along, barely stopping to eat, the surrounding area blurred into a wasteland of dead grass, burnt crops, and a few bomb craters. We finally arrived at the southern road into Lebanon, which looked absolutely dreary. We walked past ruined houses: some burnt, some bombed, others looted and abandoned. Cars lay in scrap heaps on the side of the road, tires popped and frames crushed in multiple places. Some even still contained bodies. I looked away, unable to stomach the sight. As we advanced down the road, Snap Shot called over his shoulder,

"There's a sentry posted on top of that grain silo." He pointed over to the right. There was one white silo with a small structure on top. That was the only one left standing. Even though they were still some distance away, I could see the bombed out ruins of four more to the right, and one to the left of the white tower. "He's been assigned the task of sentry duty. His job is to fire one warning shot at anyone, friend or foe. And he only waits sixty seconds for the signal before he opens fire again." We broke off the road and started heading directly to the silo. When we were only a couple hundred feet away, a gunshot cracked through the air, placing a bullet at Snap Shot's feet. I could see the dim outline of the sentry as he stood outside his small house atop the silo, rifle in hand. Snap Shot took his bow and fired a single crystal arrow into the air which burst into tiny dust-like shards, forming an image of the Water element symbol.

The sentry slung his rifle over his shoulder and waved for us to come closer.

He began to climb down a ladder as we approached. He approached our group warily, his hand never too far from the pistol strapped to his thigh. The Skylanders parted to let us through, and Snap Shot stood to the right of me.

"Sorry, we aren't accepting any more stragglers, nobody without serious potential to help out. Even if you are Skylanders. Sorry." I looked over the man. Long, dirty black hair that hung down past his ears, wearing a black, sleeveless shirt that showed off his built arms. Camo cargo pants and black combat boots. He was probably a cop before the Awakening. I looked at his shaved face and the hard glint in his brown eyes. No, he was tougher than a cop. Probably SWAT.

"Tell me something," I asked, taking a step forward, "do you believe in magic?" That question definitely caught him off guard.

"I've seen some strange things within the last couple months. Skylanders, robot skeleton things, Darklings. But even after all that, I've never really seen anyone use magic. So no, I can't say I do. There's a logical explanation for everything." I grinned and slipped my hands into my pocket. My hand clenched around the Arcane Hourglass. I released its magic, slowing time. I walked around behind him then released the hourglass. He looked around confused until I tapped him on the shoulder, causing him to jump. "H-h-how did you do that?" He asked, both afraid and intrigued.

"Magic." I replied with a chuckle. He glared daggers at me. "Believe me now?" I asked. He nodded curtly, still glaring.

"Okay, so you can do," he paused, "whatever the world that was. But what about your friends?" I glanced to the other Portal Masters and gave a little shrug. There was a flurry of flames, water, winds, rocks, leaves, blue electricity, and a little skeleton dog with glowing red eyes that was oddly cute in a menacing way. The sentry took a step backwards again, caught off guard. "Alright, so you're wizards."

"We prefer the term Portal Masters." I said. His eyes shot open. "Portal Masters?!" He nearly shouted. Now it was my turn to be confused. How did he know what a Portal Master was? I assumed the knowledge of Portal Masters was lost with Skylands.

"Come inside, hurry," A door opened in the silo, "the Major is anticipating you." I took a step into the silo, and bare fluorescent bulbs flickered on overhead. I slammed on the brakes right before I stepped into a hole. The hole led down into an eternal abyss that had a ladder built into the side. Every couple feet, another light fixture jutted out of the wall.

"Y-y-you want us to climb down there?" Leah stuttered, afraid. I was taken aback for a second. But then, reconsidering, I supposed it was rational for her to be claustrophobic. A lot of people were. Ryan came up beside her, whispering something tentatively. He had once again donned his cowl, and, in the dim lighting, his face was once again cast in shadow. He slipped a gloved hand into hers, and she nodded shakily. I looked at the Skylanders gathered with us.

"How are all the Skylanders going to get down?" I asked aloud. Some of Spyro's team would be able to come The Trap Masters had an obviously larger build, so they would have a little bit of a tougher time, plus they'd slow us down. Enigma stepped forward.

"Once you are down there, you can combine your powers and form a Portal for all of us. Using your combined strength would be less taxing on yourselves individually." I nodded, it seemed to make sense. "And if what I've heard about those Crystals is true, you should have some help." He added. I raised an eyebrow at him, but he only shook his head.

"Ask Eon, when you have a chance. Also, I wouldn't go around announcing the fact that you're Portal Masters. We never know who's friend or foe." I nodded and furrowed my brow. I certainly hope Draxx doesn't have any spies in Haven.

"Anyway, we need to get going." I said. The others nodded and Bruce headed down the ladder first, then me, then Maia, Ryan, Leah, John, Julia, and Lauren climbing down last. The ladder seemed to descend at least seventy feet, taking us twenty minutes or so. The ladder ended in a large room with a stone floor, illuminated by flickering bulbs in the wall. I spotted a large metal door on the far wall, and started making my way towards it. As I approached, there was a hiss of air, and the door swung open, revealing a city. Short, squat houses lined dusty roads of laid stone, illuminated by the orange bulbs of street lamps. People wandered around from place to place, wearing threadbare clothing. I could hear a storm of metal pounding on metal in the distance, sounding like a thousand blacksmiths. But one thing that stood out to me the most is the fact that literally everybody was armed. Men, women, children. Everyone. I watched as an old man hobbled by, leaning on a spear. A woman rushed past, a sword mounted on one hip and a toddler with a dagger on the other. The other Portal Masters were as astonished as I was.

I spotted a strange building in the distance: a steel building that vaguely resembled the White House, although much, much smaller. I motioned for the others to follow me as I made my way toward it. We stuck out like a sore thumb among the people of Haven, and the steel building stuck out from the timber-and-stone constructions everywhere else in the city. Many people cast us wary, even threatening, glances as we passed and kept their hands near their weapons. As we walked, I noticed eight large tunnels dotting the outermost walls. These tunnels were spacious enough to drive a semi truck through. As we finally reached the door of the steel building, it swung open on its own. We were greeted by the sight of a stone floor, unadorned walls, and a broad hallway that ended in an equally broad staircase. At the top of the stairs was a throne, and, sitting on it, a man who looked to be in his mid-twenties, with curly brown hair, dorky glasses, and a bright, almost _too _cheery smile. He stood and started descending the stairs. He wore a long, purple fur cape with a white fur trim. A golden crown adorned his head, and he held an ornate golden staff.

"Portal Masters, I assume? Bill upstairs told me you were coming. It's a pleasure to meet you." He said as he reached the foot of the staircase. "Especially you, madame." He said as he took Maia's hand and planted a kiss on it. I was about to throttle the guy, but Maia lightly slapped the back of my hand.

"It's a, um, pleasure to meet you too." She mumbled awkwardly and followed it up with an equally awkward curtsey. The Major started to laugh. He dropped his scepter and it burst into an arrangement of green, holographic numbers, which slowly faded. His crown and cape burst as well, leaving him standing in front of us in only a blue t-shirt and faded jeans.

"I'm sorry, I had to!" He said through bursts of laughter. "You should have seen your faces! Ah, priceless!" He chuckled as he wiped a tear from his eye comically.

"So you're the Major? And I assume that was Binary Technomancy?" I asked. His back straightened a little as I brought up his title.

"Yes, I'm Major Taylor Mars, leader of the American Resistance and the world's only known Binary Technomancer, at your service." He offered me his hand, and I shook it hesitantly.

"I'm Aaron, Portal Master of Magic and semi-leader of our little group here. We heard you could use a hand?"

"Quite a few actually. The Arkeyans are moving across the country, slowly digging out every last pocket of resistance. I fear they'll be right on top of us soon, and we're spread thin as is, and even the few Trap Masters we have are only helping a little bit. We need Skylanders."

I smirked. "Ask, and you shall receive." The other Portal Masters and I joined hands, standing in a circle. I closed my eyes and reached deep into the Crystal around my neck. My mind overlaid with the Crystal, turning it to facets of deep purple. I dipped into the well of energy at the heart of the Crystal but was surprised when I found I was unable. I turned my full will towards passing this barrier when a voice rang out.

"_Do not use my power, young Portal Master. This task is too much for the shred of power I hold compared to you. Reach into yourself, use your own strength. If my power is a well, yours is a lake." _It was a man's voice, but no one's that I had ever known.

"_Who are you?" _I asked "_How did you get into my Crystal? And what do you know of my power?"_

"Your _Crystal?" _The voice retorted incredulously. "_This Crystal that you claim to be yours is the smallest fragment of active magic I have left. And as for your first question, I am Odilo Ragan, a Portal Master much like yourself. I am also your ancestor by a thousand generations. Although it is small, a portion of my blood flows through you, grandchild, so I expect you to pay more respect." _I was shocked. There was no way that I had any ancestors from Skylands. No way at all. It wasn't possible. "_Oh, but it is possible and very much true. Why do you think your parents were never able to be found? Because they were not of this world, and neither are you. And the ring you wear all the time? That ring, it signifies that you are destined for great things, Grandchild. Now hurry, complete the Portal. Your friends have already spoken with their mentors. Reach into yourself and use your power. We will speak again."_ With that, the voice drifted off. Concentrating, I dug deep into myself to find my magic. I found it at the core of myself, pure unbridled energy. I focused and brought a portion of it streaming forth through my body, linking it with the powers of my friends.

The chain completed, a Portal appeared in the middle of our circle as I opened my eyes. This one was different though. Whereas other Portals we have conjured were small, shaky little doorways, this one was full and strong. It pulsated with power as an internal light shone from within. I saw Major Taylor gasp in shock as Skylanders started streaming forth from the vortex, Trap Masters included. After the Skylanders finished arriving, we let go of each other's hands and shared a look. We had some things to discuss later.

"So it's true? The Portal Masters have actually returned?" Taylor breathed, his eyes widening at the new arrivals. He frantically waved for us to follow. "Come on, we need to free the others." Others? Then it hit me; the Resistance must have the other Skylanders stored safe somewhere. Taylor broke into an all-out sprint as we followed behind. We ran up the stairs and down the hallway, which split three ways at the end. Ahead was a door labeled 'WAR ROOM', but Taylor turned to the left and dashed down another stone hallway, arriving at a blank wall.

It was literally a dead end. Just a wall blocking our path. No levers, switches, or anything, but the Major stepped forward and placed his hand on the wall. Blue electricity shot from his hand, illuminating a weaving, swirling pattern on the door. It split in half and slid open soundlessly, seemingly melting into the rest of the wall. A small chamber was revealed, circular in shape with tiered walls reaching back in an almost stepwise pattern. On each tier was a collection of platforms, each holding a single Skylander encased in glass.

"Here is every Skylander the Trap Masters managed to recover. According to Snap Shot, the Giants are missing." Taylor said.

"What? The Giants are missing? What do you mean they're _missing_?!" I shouted, "The Giants are the only ones who have taken on the entire Arkeyan empire and won, much less SURVIVED!" Taylor jumped away from me, looking genuinely hurt and afraid.

"Please don't yell at me..." He said in a small voice. I was about to start yelling again when Maia got in front of me and in my face.

"Aaron, I don't know what your problem is, but you need to go blow off some steam. Take a walk. See if you can't find a courtyard or something. Just chill out, please." She ended our conversation with a quick hug before she pushed me out the door.

**(Ryan's POV)**

I waved for Snap Shot to come into the little room. "I thought you guys grabbed all the Skylanders?" I questioned. He looked uncomfortable, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Well, we did. Almost. We neva' got tha chance to grab tha Giants, they weren't in tha room with us. But since Miss Maia here has 'er fancy Tech gizmos and whatchamabobs, maybe she can track the Giants by their strong elemental signature?"

"That might work," Maia said, stepping forward, rubbing her chin, "but I'd need a direct access to live satellite, or something like a Google Images mainframe. Then I can apply the filters I invented to track the elemental signature, and get us a location on the Giants!" She jumped up in the air excitedly then turned to Taylor. "Major, can you get me an access point?"

"Yeah, I should be able to," He said, "we have a supercomputer we managed to salvage from the White House hooked up in the war room. As long as you have an interface module, we should be in business. But for now, I feel like we should free the Skylanders." He paused after that and frowned. "Or rather, you should. I'll just, um, stand here. And watch. Or something." I nodded and waved a hand at the Skylanders assembled outside the doorway.

"You guys go on. We have work to do in here. Find Aaron, get situated, get some food, something. We'll be okay." The Skylanders reluctantly nodded, heading back out to the city. I reached up and gripped the Crystal at my neck. My mind slipped into the fractured grey Crystal sight.

'_Welcome back.' _Rang out a woman's voice, coming from inside the Crystal.

'Karriss.' I thought back curtly. Karriss Daemonne is the Portal Master living within my Crystal. Apparently, in life, she was a demon. Not like Jason, a half-human-half-demon thing, whatever he was, I'm still not sure.

'_Why so serious? We're both Portal Masters. No need to be mean. We could be friends.'_

'You aren't a Portal Master. Not any more. You're a shard of a spirit of a demon of a Portal Master. Nothing more. Now please, stop distracting me, I have work to do.'

'_Ah yes, your Skylanders. They're quite pitiful, you know. Back when I had Skylanders, they were fearsome warriors. Vampires, werewolves, drow, trolls, and all manner of other beasties. Yours seem like nothing more than cute little wannabes.'_ Now I was mad.

'Shut up. Or I will throw you. In a volcano.' I shouted, tugging the string.

'_You wouldn't dare. You need me.'_ She mocked.

'I have Eon to train me. You're no better than him. Would you like to try me?' I warned dangerously, loosening the Crystal even further. I felt her presence recess. Dipping into the well of energy, I pulled it and spread it outwards, reaching for the nearest Skylander. I sensed Julia's energy spreading as well, and our two masses of energy accidentally touched.

BANG! There was a blinding light, and I was thrown off my feet, flying backward into the wall nearest me. I wasn't able to see anything but pure, white light. My body hit the floor as the others in the room cried out. When my vision finally cleared, I started looking around for damages. The room seemed secure. But now, in the center of the room, there was a fully grown tree that hadn't been there before. It stood tall and leafless, with dark black bark. But the scariest part about it was the fact that it was _moving_. I slowly stood and started pacing toward the tree, limping a little.

'_I wouldn't do that...'_ Karriss warned, but I ignored her. Taking another step closer, I reached out my gloved hand and touched the bark. There was a flash of green-gray light when my hand touched, and I was sent reeling back as the magical shield pulsed. The tree started moving quickly after that. A huge, gaping mouth opened up, lined with razor sharp teeth.

"Everybody RUN!" I yelled as the tree swung at me, rolling out of the way as a large branch came down, cracking the stone floor. I got to my feet and sprinted out of the door, followed by the other Portal Masters and Taylor.

"What about the Skylanders?" Taylor shouted as he constructed a gatling gun in his hands and opened fire on the tree. The same green-gray light flashed again, repelling all the bullets, sending more than a few flying back at us. I dropped to the ground and barrel rolled out of the way as bullets zoomed overhead.

"I don't know!" I shouted back. I rose to a crouch and poked my head around the doorway, but pulled back quickly as the tree shot large bone needles out of its branches. All of a sudden, I started hearing commotion from inside the room. I poked my head around again and saw the Skylanders, the ones we had been trying to free, fighting the tree. Swap Force, Minis, the rest of the Trap Team and the Giants' companions. They were all attacking the tree, but with no luck. Every time an Undead Skylander hit it, it would gain more needles, or another row of teeth. When Life Skylanders attacked, the tree gained more branches. Nobody was able to hurt it. Fires did nothing, bullets bounced off. We had no hope of stopping it.

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" Screamed Aaron as he came running down the hallway, his Elemental Sword in hand, cloak billowing out behind him. He leapt into the air as he reached the threshold, swiping at tree branches with incredible speed, jumping from branch to branch with the skill of a ninja. Finally, he leapt into the air and brought the pommel of his Sword down into the tree bark. Purple and green-gray lights flashed as the tree was impaled. The purple light started to encase the tree, slowing it down with time magic. "GO!" He yelled to the Skylanders as he struggled desperately to keep his hold on the abomination. The Skylanders wasted no time in fleeing. Once everyone was clear, Taylor started charging the door with blue electricity.

"Come on!" He yelled to Aaron. Aaron nodded and kicked off the tree, flying through the air and landing just before the door closed. From inside, we heard a storm of needles striking stone. Aaron collapsed, panting. Maia ran over to him.

"Aaron, are you okay? How did you do that? What did you do?" Slowly, Aaron caught his breath enough to stand, showing us the pommel of his sword. The Arcane Hourglass sat there, glowing. Aaron brought the Trap close to his mouth, whispered a few words, and it dropped into his hand.

"Heard the explosion... Came to check... Saw the tree... Simple binding spell... Hourglass to Sword... God I hurt." He managed to pant out. "What happened?" He asked. Before I could say anything, a Skylander stepped forward. He was a small blue gremlin, with a potion bag on his back. Pop Fizz, I remembered from my classes with Eon.

"Well, my best guess is that these two yahoos here," he said, pointing at Julia and I, "let their raw magic touch. Usually it's not that bad, except for the the fact that they're elemental opposites, and Undead and Life at that. The deadliest combo. As far as I'm concerned though, that little tree in there was a rather tame reaction to the circumstances."

"You call that tame?!" I asked incredulously.

"Imagine a vampire with wings that can turn into a werewolf, also with wings, bigger than an Arkeyan Conquertron. Oh, and it has poison pollen breath. So yeah, that tree was nothing. We could've handled it if we weren't so stiff." I looked around, all the Skylanders were stretching and groaning, working out kinks in their muscles. Wash Buckler, the mermasquid pirate captain and leader of the Swap Force, walked up to Aaron.

"Thanks for the help, Portal Master. We owe you." He said with a tip of his hat.

"It was nothing, really." Aaron said. "Besides, the Hourglass did more work than me."

I noticed Taylor stand up. "Skylanders! Portal Masters! It's been a long, eventful day. But for the moment, there are no more pressing emergencies. My second-in-command, Dick, will show you to our guest quarters. Afterwards, feel free to explore Haven, see what the city has to offer. See the sights, get some grub, buy some weapons, practice a little, whatever you want. Just please, don't start any fires, cause any cave ins, or go into the tunnels on your own. And Maia," he said, lowering his voice, "come with me and we'll see if we can't track down some Giants." Taylor and Maia disappeared into the war room, with a dirty look from Aaron.


	25. On the Move Again

**On the Move Again**

**(Lauren's POV)**

I strode down Main Street, heading towards the southern side of Haven for my practice session with John. I walked past little shops filled with armors, clothing, weapons like swords and knives, amongst other things. I'd finally managed to memorize the small underground city in the week we had been here, so I took a route that led me past the Crop center. Master Eon had, as he said, given seeds to the Elemental Crops to the members of the Swap Force. So with their freeing, we had managed to plant the Crops, using their energy to power things around the city, like lights, laundromats, heaters. For the time though, us Portal Masters and Skylanders were the only ones who were able to use the energy for spells. Nobody else was skilled enough to control the raw magic. I thought back to what Keegan had said about a vault. It apparently contained secret recipes involving the Crops, and how to use them to make powerful potions and things like that. But he had also said that the vault was locked away somewhere on Earth, either in a volcano, underwater, or just buried somewhere. I passed by the small Crop farm and ran my hand over the Floats, sending a little jolt of energy through my body, causing my Crystal to glow a little.

'_So, are you going to actually use me this time?'_ Asked Avala Rivule, the Portal Master in my Crystal. The other Portal Masters and I had talked about them during our first night here. Apparently, the spirits were awakened when we Portaled the Skylanders down. But Julia had told her how her Portal Master, Taloc, had woke up when she was hurt out in the Outlands. I'm still not sure how I feel about having another mind in my head, and we still didn't know much about them.

'_Maybe. We all saw what happened with Ryan and Julia. Lord knows we don't want an angry steam monster running around down here.' _I thought back.

'_I'm not saying raw magic, just do _something_. I need practice as much as you do. It's quite boring, sitting locked up in here with nothing to do but daydream.'_ I felt a little bad for her. '_And your Cryomancy still needs a lot of work.'_ She had a point, pretty much the only thing I can do with ice is make spikes and rudimentary walls. Which was all fine and dandy, but the thought of a thousand Arkeyans charging me headlong, and only being able to make an ice wall, didn't settle well. I thought back to what Maia had said back at the Ambrosia farm. Cryomancers freezing collapsing buildings so people could escape. I wonder if I'll ever be able to do that.

'_What I'm about to teach you is so much more powerful, dear.' _Avala thought to me. I asked what she meant. '_There's an ancient technique, lost to the centuries, used by many Water elementals. A fighting style called Fluid Weaponry. Masters would use water and ice as weaponry, melting and freezing to flow past the enemy defenses.'_

I arrived at the training yard, a large flat area to the north of the city. We had told Taylor about our sparring session today, so he ordered his men to clear the yard of all the training dummies, and spectator stands had been set up along the far edges of the yard, occupied by the small crowd of people that came to see a couple of normal people fight (we still haven't made public the fact that we're Portal Masters). A couple of Geomancers visiting from the Earth Guild had been kind enough to pack down the dirt of the yard, turning it to flat, hard rock. On the other end of the field I saw John, illuminated by the streetlamps circling the yard. He was wearing a simple red T-shirt and jeans, his black hair combed out of the way of his eyes. I also spotted two cylinders that looked like thermoses hanging from his hips.

"Let's start hand to hand." He called. I nodded and took my jacket off, leaving me in my blue tank top. A couple of teenage guys catcalled, but I ignored them.

"No holds barred." I yelled back, raising my fists. He grinned at me and raised his own. We were only thirty paces apart, but he covered that space in no time, opening with a left hook. I ducked and shot my left foot out, trying to trip him up. But he only kicked my foot hard and rolled forward. I jumped as he rose to a crouch and tried to swoop kick my feet out, expecting the move. He rose fully and kicked my right side, but I managed to catch his foot. He grinned and jumped, kicking me in the temple with the heel of his other shoe. I went staggering back and fell onto my back, causing the Flood Flask to fall out of my pocket. I grabbed it as John started to pace towards me and blasted him in the chest with water, sending him flying back. He landed on his back and rolled through the dirt, all the breath leaving his lungs. He stood up again, angrier than before. Flames started licking up his arms, burning brighter as the water evaporated off of him. I gulped and unleashed the Flask on him again, but he just raised his arm and shot back a torrent of flame with his Fire Flower. Flame met water like two snakes in a hissing match,sending steam curling through the air. Neither of us had a clear advantage, so he cast out his other hand and sent even more fire at me. I grabbed onto the stream coming from my Flask and diverted part of it to block his newest assault. He blasted at me with flame from two directions, and I couldn't keep up. I was forced to step back as the flames grew closer and closer while my water shrunk. There was a thunderclap and he fell to the ground, and I heaved a sigh of relief. But my breath hitched as I caught a familiar black cloak out of the corner of my eye.

"Mind if I join?" Ryan asked, his hands glowing gray.

"No, not at all." I lied. I was really uncomfortable around him, and I'd feel better if he would just leave.

"Back off Zombie Boy," John hollered as he threw a fireball towards Ryan, who just rolled away nimbly, "This is our match, and besides, you couldn't even take me alone!"

"You might be right. How about I bring some friends?" He went down on one knee and pressed his palm to the earth. A gray glow started spiraling outwards from his hand, and the ground cracked opened. Skeletons started crawling up from the depths of the Underworld and marched towards John with weapons drawn. He only snickered and sent a fireball into the ranks of the undead, reducing them to ash.

"Are you going to stand there or are you going to cover me?" Ryan snapped, shaking me out of my fear induced reverie. I did not like skeletons. But I also wanted to win. I lashed out with a whip of water, but John waved his hand and it was consumed by fire. But his attention was now torn between us, and we pressed the advantage. I started running circles around John, lashing out with tendrils of water as Ryan's soldiers pressed in on him. Fireballs flew erratically as John tried to keep pace with Ryan and I.

'_Now, press in.'_ Avala rang out in my mind. I summoned an icy trident and charged. I jabbed out with the trident and John was forced to try to bat it aside with his sword. Checkmate. As his sword made contact, my trident melted, then reshaped and re froze into a bident after his sword was clear, catching the cloth of his shirt, just inches from his neck. I drove the points into the ground, pinning his head as Ryan's skeletons pinned his arms. John thrashed helplessly as i stood above him, panting. Ryan paced up to us, black cloak swirling.

"Not too bad," he said, nodding at me, "but I would've closed in sooner." I scowled at the necromancer, who just raised an eyebrow in return. With a wave of his hand, the skeletons burst into ash and scattered on a wind that I didn't feel. John started struggling to remove the bident from above him.

"Get this thing off of me before I light your ponytail on fire." He growled.

"Chill out." I replied, then melted the weapon. Icy cold water splashed on his face as it did, and I giggled at my unintentional joke. John jumped up quick and stared Ryan dead in the eye.

"You, me, one on one. Right now." There was a murderous light in John's eyes, but Ryan just shrugged, intentionally patronizing the pyromancer.

"Swing." Was all Ryan said. John opened the thermoses on his hips and dipped his hands in. When he withdrew them, they were covered in a black oil. I jumped back as the oil caught fire and John threw a savage right hook. Ryan ducked it and took a step back, but only long enough to drop the cloak off his shoulders before he was back in the fight. There were no skeletons this time. There was no magic used by Ryan at all. But he was still winning, somehow. He kept dodging, ducking, weaving his way in close.

Too close.

John, hands still flaming, caught Ryan in a bear hug. Even though he made no sound, it was obvious Ryan could feel the flames eating his back. But then he smiled, and the tables turned. Black electricity streaked across John's features and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. John screamed as he was thrown backwards. Smoke still curled from the holes in Ryan's shirt, revealing nasty-looking burns on his back. But even still, the fight went on. John, his hands now extinguished, drew his sword, lighting the blade on fire. That guy really likes fire. Ryan merely shrugged again, dropping his hood. The light caught his sandy hair, and the scar from the spider attack stuck out prominently. His grey eyes locked with John's. He drew his dagger from his belt, letting the sound ring.

The two charged each other, but it was over before it started. Ryan had dropped into a slide kick, but John jumped it. Before he could attack himself, Ryan had his dagger pressed against John's throat.

"This has been fun, but it appears we have company." Ryan said.

Then I spotted Maia coming towards us at a furious pace, a tablet in her hand and the other Portal Masters hot on her heels.

"I have good news, bad news, and really bad news." She said as she stopped.

"Well, good news is always good, so let's start with that." Aaron said.

"I've located the Giants."

"Really? Where?"

"That's the bad news. They're being kept somewhere inside Area 51." I felt a rock form in my stomach. How were we supposed to get into a military base?

"Oh. What's the even worse news?" Aaron sounded crestfallen.

"It's been taken over by Draxx's forces. I'm not sure how many are in there, but the entire area is just blanketed in Dark energy, making it nearly impossible to pick up any other signatures through radar. The only reason I was able to figure out the Giants were there was because there were trace signatures of the core eight Elements, and the only things that would have a chance of making it through that fog would be them or the Eternal Sources."

A bubble of laughter broke free of my chest. "So you're saying that we're going to break into a government base, flooded with so much Darkness that we're probably outnumbered thirty to one? I know we've done some crazy stuff before, but exactly how are we supposed to do this?"

"Thirty to one is nothing to a Giant. We sneak in, we free them, and bust out. Besides, we'll take a few Skylanders to help distract… Whatever's in there." Maia replied coolly.

"We're all insane, aren't we?" I asked exasperated.

* * *

We gathered the few Skylanders we would take with us; Snap Shot, Kaboom, Enigma, and Tread Head. After gathering our supplies and checking our weapons, we were ready to head to the surface. Taylor came to say a few departing words.

"I wish you guys had told me where you were going." He said exasperatedly. We hadn't told him where we were off to, for safety reasons. Even though he was openly friendly and hospitable to us, Aaron cautioned that the Darkness, whether we liked it or not, now ruled Earth. The Arkeyans had moved in quickly and efficiently, and Taylor had told us they wiped out the White House within a day.

"We told you," Aaron said, "we've got important business in the west. We shouldn't be gone for long, hopefully we won't even be away for a week, but in a worst case scenario we could be gone for about a month. Don't worry, we'll be fine."

"I like to know where my allies are, so I can send help if need be." Taylor argued. He was usually a bright, cheery person, but now he seemed so much older. It was as if a huge weight bore down on his shoulders. Which, in a way, I suppose it did.

"We'll be in the west. We shouldn't need any help, but if we do I'll contact you." Aaron said firmly. Taylor finally relented.

"Fine, but if you have to go, at least take some things with you." Taylor said cryptically

"What are they?"

"Call it… Experimental weaponry. Designed by myself. Dick!" he called over his shoulder, "Bring the experiments!"

His advisor came towards us wheeling a metal cart. On it lay guns, some sort of metal spheres, and what looked like a miniature bow. Taylor picked up a large sniper rifle, handing it to Maia.

"Highest bullet velocity on Earth. And, specialized bullets containing the strongest acid known to man. When the round meets its target, the bullet collapses, shattering the glass tube with the acid. Very effective against Arkeyans and armor, but the acid is countered by human skin. But I doubt that'll be a problem with a rifle as strong as that." She nodded appreciatively and slung it over her shoulder.

Next he turned to John, passing him a pair of pistols. "Integrated welding torches, also my own design. Nothing too spectacular, but up close it can do some serious damage." John smiled and tucked them into his belt.

Leah was up next. "Hold out your wrist." She did, and he attached to her gauntlet a miniature bow with collapsible arms, then passed her some thin darts. "I'll admit, the bow wasn't my idea, but the poisons inside these darts are my own design. You've got three for killing and three for knocking unconscious. It only has a range of a hundred feet or so, arced with no wind." She tucked the projectiles in the cuff of her gauntlet.

"I couldn't really think of anything for you," he said to Bruce, "so I got you a pair of brass knuckles." Bruce laughed a little and tucked them into his pants pockets.

He took a small cloth pouch and handed it to Julia. "Small spores that, when inhaled, cause the victim to have an asthmatic reaction. Can't fight if you can't breathe. Just be careful you don't use it on yourself." He said with a chuckle.

He picked up the two little metal spheres and passed them to Aaron. "Grenades, sort of." He said. He pointed at a sun symbol on one "That one behaves as either a flare or flashbang. But, be sure you aren't in the same room when it flashes. As for flare, it's a much safer option with a run time of about an hour." He pointed to the other one, it had a cloud symbol. "Lethal or non-lethal smoke. It'll either emit black smoke, good for camouflage, or the other emission; a highly corrosive acid, the same design as Maia's rifle rounds, but with added elements to make it combustible. Again, I'd suggest you be in another room. The smoke is a one-time use on each, but the light is rechargeable via solar." Aaron accepted them with an unreadable expression.

Taylor turned to me and handed me a backpack. "It's one of those water bags. It'll hold a gallon and a half. One of our guys found it on a raid." I accepted it with a smile. It seemed kind of stupid because of the Flask, but I couldn't really think of anything better.

Lastly, he turned to Ryan, handing him a couple flat metal discs, no bigger than the palm of his hand. "These are cameras, but they double as shuriken." He pinched the middle and the metal twisted and retracted, revealing four shuriken blades. "Diamond edged and razor sharp. The cameras are synched to this." He said, handing Ryan a little tablet.

"Portal Masters," Aaron said. All eyes turned to him. "Let's move!"

* * *

**Please review.**

**-DeadPortal**


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